20.07.23 - Climate maps - a tool for locating heat islands in the Kanton Bern

The problem : Increasing heat concentration in urban areas

The proposal : Climate maps provide information on air temperatures, cold-air flows and bioclimatic conditions during the day and night during periods of high summer heat. They show the current and future location of heat islands, climate compensation areas and important ventilation corridors.
During the day, the assessment focuses on the quality of life in green spaces and built areas. The main factor is solar radiation. 
At night, on the other hand, the most important parameters are the intensity of heat in built spaces and the penetration of cold air flows that rebalance climatic conditions.

Why : These maps are designed to help urban planners take into account the problem of extreme heat. In concrete terms, this means :
- arranging buildings in such a way as to minimise blockage of ventilation corridors
- maintaining and developing open spaces that improve climatic conditions
- identifying areas that need to be re-vegetated

Future forecasting : the indicative maps provide information for the current period, but also scenarios for 2060, giving an assessment of the impact of climate on residents.

A good example of new information enabling public policy-makers and planners to make better decisions about the development of our cities, taking into account the challenges posed by climate change.

#map #climatechange #urbanplanning