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The project partners cooperate on development of joint solutions for the adaptation of urban structures to the impacts of a changing climate. They cooperate to generate comprehensive assessment methods as well as planning tools to support decisions for sustainable urban developments. The partnership cooperates to bring together a large number of specific and sector experiences. The cooperation results in joint methods and strategies for adaptation in different cities in NWE.
The changing climate in NWE is predicted to have impacts in different directions where adequate responses are needed, i.e. adapt the urban environment to dryer as well as wetter weather conditions. Both aspects will be tackled in the project striving for the best combination of measures to respond to both changes.
The Future Cities-strategy responds to major adaptation needs:
The temperature in the built environment is expected to rise with heavy impact on the cities' living conditions. In vulnerable locations e.g. hospitals/homes for the elderly, costly and energy-consumptive reactive measures are caused, e.g. more air-conditioning. Here, the key component "green structures" tackles the problem and may balance the predicted rise in temperature of urban surface. The question is: How to use these green cooling effects efficiently? How to secure the functioning during drought periods?
Winters are predicted to become wetter with increased runoff and flash-flooding. Here, solutions could be found in combinations of the urban water systems with green structures.
Summers are expected to be hotter and drier which reduces the amount of water available for plants during droughts resulting in less cooling effects of green structures. Here, the combination with the water system is called for e.g. to develop ways to store additional water which can be used for irrigation.
Overall: How can the adaptation measures be combined effectively with structural urban changes for "climate proof cities"?