Final webinar – From Plans to Practice: Building Local Heat Resilience

This webinar brought together local and interregional actors and municipalities across Central and Northern Europe to share how they are turning Heat and Health Action Plans into concrete local measures and addressing outdoor heat stress by establishing a network of cool spots and routes in cities. Both projects build on collaborative approaches — from improving communication channels and community awareness to investing in green cooling solutions that link health, social, and environmental services to a comprehensive roadmap: a step-by-step guide on how to achieve a heat-resilient city. Participants heard directly from municipal teams and partners about how local coordination, citizen engagement, and small-scale green investments and creating cool spots and routes that protect residents, especially those most at risk, can make a big difference when heatwaves strike.

Main Themes: • Practical examples of how cities are implementing short-, mid- and long-term heat adaptation measures • Insights into creating cool spots and cool routes to reduce outdoor heat stress • Lessons on improving communication, citizen engagement, and local coordination • Experiences from municipalities including Arnhem, Hamburg, Maribor, Rotterdam, Weiz, Worms, • Live panel discussions, case sharing, and Q&A

Participants: Municipal officers, local health authorities, urban planners, social service providers, and local stakeholders working on heat resilience—within and beyond the Ready4Heat and CoolCities pilot areas.

As heatwaves intensify, local action matters more than ever. Discover how collaboration, smart communication, and targeted green investments can protect residents—especially those most at risk.

Agenda

Opening remarks of Ready4Heat: The growing urgency of local heat resilience Katja Karba, Project Coordinator, Development Agency Sinergija, Slovenia

Cooperation on climate resilience in Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE

Christophe Ebermann, Head of Project Unit – Operations, Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme – Joint Secretariat

Local Engagement for Adaptation Actions (Panel Discussion)

The panelists will share their experiences, discussing the biggest challenges in engaging citizens, the most effective outreach methods, and surprising lessons learned. Cities will highlight which local networks made the biggest difference and how cross-sector cooperation worked in practice. Each panelist will provide focused insights, with a cross-city discussion on replicability and best practices.

• Maria Teleki, City of Hajdúböszörmény
• Bea Lugosi, Reflex Association, HU
• Gordana Kolesaric, City of Maribor, SLO
• Dominik Puchner, City of Weiz
• Friedrich Hofer and Jaume Vidal, Klimabündnis Styria, A
• Markus Engelbrecht, City of Worms, DE

From Design to Implementation: Municipality actions

COOL CITIES: Creating Cool Networks to Reduce Urban Heat Stress

• Thijn de Voogd, City of Arnhem, NL, EU-projectmanager and Project Coordinator of CoolCities

From Local Challenge to Local Action: Experience Pitches of Ready4Heat Municipalities

• Maria Teleki/Bea Lugosi, City of Hajdúböszörmény/Reflex Association, HU
• Gordana Kolesaric, City of Maribor, SLO
• Dominik Puchner, City of Weiz, A
• Markus Engelbrecht, City of Worms, DE

Investing in Green Solutions: Lessons from Municipalities (Panel Discussion)

The panelists will discuss their experiences with green islands, nature-based solutions in shading, and renewable energy-based cooling solutions in municipality buildings, sharing how these measures addressed urban heat challenges. They’ll explore the most effective cooling interventions, financing strategies, citizen involvement, and impacts on wellbeing and resilience. The cities discuss the challenges in turning pilots into permanent infrastructure, including key stakeholders to convince for long-term success.

• Maria Teleki, City of Hajdúböszörmény and Bea Lugosi, Reflex Association, HU
• Gordana Kolesaric, City of Maribor, SLO
• Dominik Puchner, City of Weiz and Friedrich Hofer / Jaume Vidal, Klimabündnis Styria, A
• Markus Engelbrecht, City of Worms, DE

Q&A and Closing Reflections

Webinar Resources

Webinar Recording

Download the webinar presentation here

Coming soon: Project outcomes: full brochure