l
6. Pilot and capitalization actions for limiting UHI’s effect
The first step consists in gaining a more detailed insight of the phenomenon and
of potentially correlated risks, starting from a deep analysis of the current knowledge both from a scientific and a legislative point of view. In other words, to collect
scientific planning and legislative experiences throughout Central Europe in order
to influence some suitable and sustainable actions in urban land use. This state-ofthe-art analysis is carried out with the traditional micro-meteorological techniques
and is specifically designed to develop mitigation and adaptation as well as management strategies. UHI intensity has been measured within each of the main urban
areas within Central Europe comparing meteorological data obtained in a monitoring station located inside cities with data obtained in a station located in the rural
surroundings using a common methodology. In addition, a web atlas has been
implemented, after the development of a GIS database where project partners
uploaded meteorological and air-quality data, as well as maps of satellite images,
soil use and DEM referring to the different areas involved in UHI-project.
Communication and dissemination within UHI project represent a very relevant
aspect of the developed activities, with a sharing of the competence and experiences
not only in the framework of the partnership itself but also with all the other
European Institutions and stakeholders in general. Moreover, also people living in
urban areas should be addressed by the communication and dissemination activities
through the largest possible number of mass-media. Among the other dissemination
activities, local events are worth of some words, since they are designed to facilitate
the interaction between partners that are developing pilot activities and local stakeholders that can contribute to them. The necessary interaction in a trans-national
network will then ensure a widespread audience for the dissemination and exploitation of methods and findings from the project activities. A number of local events
have been organized by UHI project partners with a certain success in terms of
participation and debate among the various subjects involved, not only related to the
development of a trans-national debate on the UHI theme but also to the interactions
with climate change.
Another important aspect is related to the elaboration of scenarios for UHI phenomenon taking into account its relationship with climate change. In this respect,
the implementation of appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies as well as
the integration of these strategies inside urban planning tools is of outstanding
importance. Mitigation strategies are related to the adoption of urban and land planning models that are able to counteract the development of UHI within urban environments, while adaptation strategies aim at reducing the impact of those
phenomenon related to UHI, such as summer bioclimatic discomfort.
Pilot actions constitute the final phase of UHI project: they started as feasibility
studies in order to evaluate how city space can be developed taking into account the
mitigation and adaptation strategies developed in the course of UHI project. The
development of pilot actions in the framework of mitigation and adaptation strategies represents another very important aspects of UHI project. The most relevant
metropolitan areas in Central Europe are the pilot areas where pilot actions are
Introduction
6. Pilot and capitalization actions for limiting UHI’s effect
The first step consists in gaining a more detailed insight of the phenomenon and
of potentially correlated risks, starting from a deep analysis of the current knowledge both from a scientific and a legislative point of view. In other words, to collect
scientific planning and legislative experiences throughout Central Europe in order
to influence some suitable and sustainable actions in urban land use. This state-ofthe-art analysis is carried out with the traditional micro-meteorological techniques
and is specifically designed to develop mitigation and adaptation as well as management strategies. UHI intensity has been measured within each of the main urban
areas within Central Europe comparing meteorological data obtained in a monitoring station located inside cities with data obtained in a station located in the rural
surroundings using a common methodology. In addition, a web atlas has been
implemented, after the development of a GIS database where project partners
uploaded meteorological and air-quality data, as well as maps of satellite images,
soil use and DEM referring to the different areas involved in UHI-project.
Communication and dissemination within UHI project represent a very relevant
aspect of the developed activities, with a sharing of the competence and experiences
not only in the framework of the partnership itself but also with all the other
European Institutions and stakeholders in general. Moreover, also people living in
urban areas should be addressed by the communication and dissemination activities
through the largest possible number of mass-media. Among the other dissemination
activities, local events are worth of some words, since they are designed to facilitate
the interaction between partners that are developing pilot activities and local stakeholders that can contribute to them. The necessary interaction in a trans-national
network will then ensure a widespread audience for the dissemination and exploitation of methods and findings from the project activities. A number of local events
have been organized by UHI project partners with a certain success in terms of
participation and debate among the various subjects involved, not only related to the
development of a trans-national debate on the UHI theme but also to the interactions
with climate change.
Another important aspect is related to the elaboration of scenarios for UHI phenomenon taking into account its relationship with climate change. In this respect,
the implementation of appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies as well as
the integration of these strategies inside urban planning tools is of outstanding
importance. Mitigation strategies are related to the adoption of urban and land planning models that are able to counteract the development of UHI within urban environments, while adaptation strategies aim at reducing the impact of those
phenomenon related to UHI, such as summer bioclimatic discomfort.
Pilot actions constitute the final phase of UHI project: they started as feasibility
studies in order to evaluate how city space can be developed taking into account the
mitigation and adaptation strategies developed in the course of UHI project. The
development of pilot actions in the framework of mitigation and adaptation strategies represents another very important aspects of UHI project. The most relevant
metropolitan areas in Central Europe are the pilot areas where pilot actions are
Introduction