Pilot action concepts finalised

Date: 23.04.2024
The four Ready4Heat pilot cities Hajdúböszörmény, Maribor, Weiz and Worms – besides elaborating heat action plans for their cities – also implementing pilot actions in order to make their cities more resilient against heat waves. The main purposes of the pilot actions are to protect vulnerable target groups among their citizens from heat and furthermore to transfer the knowledge, gained throughout the implementation of the pilot actions, to other European cities. These measures were now documented in a joint pilot actions concept.

The city of Hajdúböszörmény is planning the creation of 47 green islands. The green islands will be placed in public areas and around public buildings. The 47 units will be installed at 20 different locations. The locations have been selected using heat maps with the cooperation of stakeholders involved in citizen engagement. The green islands will have a bench to rest under the shade created by the plants growing on
a wooden structure. The municipality is also planning to plant trees next to the green islands in order to have a bigger shade in the future.

The city of Maribor is constructing two pergolas to be placed in two different kindergartens. The first one will protect the south oriented part of the building from the heat in summer days. The second one will be installed in the second kindergarten and will provide shade over the sandbox. Two different plants will be tested and compared (kiwi and white Isabella vine). The pergolas will be made of local wood.

The city of Weiz invests in the feasibility of an innovative and sustainable cooling solution for buildings. In order to determine the feasibility, a solar-assisted cooling solution will be installed at the pilot location (nursing home). The operation of the system will be monitored and energy data will be collected in order to be able to compare the performance of the pilot system with other types of building cooling.

The city of Worms is establishing long-term structures for raising awareness on heat and health among the citizens. The pilot action will test how a network with relevant actors can be kept alive in a long run. The purpose of the network is to develop and implement a district concept for heat reduction in a particularly affected part of the city.