For more shade

Population to identify heat hotspots

Avenues: not only bring more greenery to the city, but also provide much sought-after shade.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Heat puts an extraordinary strain on many people's bodies. In urban areas in particular, heat hotspots can form during the day, which can be a challenge for more sensitive people. A heat map should now provide a remedy. 

Climate change is bringing more and more hot days with it. This regularly becomes a problem in cities in particular. Streets where there is no shade, i.e. no trees, are particularly badly affected. In Vorarlberg, 32 percent of respondents in the latest microcensus survey by Statistics Austria stated that they suffer during hot spells during the day. One in six is also stressed or even very stressed at night. 

The heat also has an impact on mobility. "If sidewalks are in the blazing sun, this means that people with health problems or older people cannot walk there because of the heat. This restricts their mobility. This makes it all the more important to implement more climate change adaptation measures in municipalities and cities," explains Katharina Jaschinsky from Verkehrsclub Österreich (VCÖ). 

In urban areas, there is often a lack of shade to provide cooling.(Bild: Matthias Rhomberg )

Register hotspots yourself
The VCÖ would now like to work with the public to identify heat hotspots for pedestrians. The public can enter the relevant problematic road section on an online map(www.vcoe.at). Other problem areas can also be reported there. The VCÖ collects the entries and then forwards them to the responsible municipality or city.

"This citizen participation tool provides municipalities and cities with valuable information and enables them to check on the spot what possibilities there are for improvement," explains VCÖ expert Jaschinsky.

Plant trees, provide shade
Possible measures include trees and green spaces along sidewalks. The so-called sponge city principle is very effective, in which the roots of trees are given more space and thus more water can be stored. This has a cooling effect in hot weather and allows the soil to absorb more water during heavy rainfall, which relieves the sewer system and prevents street flooding.