How can critical impacts of hot spells be better captured in urban public spaces?

The CEDIM PhD project on summer heat investigates the relationship between remote sensing observations, local measurements, and subjective perceptions of the population in downtown Karlsruhe.

Global warming will lead to high summertime heat-stress in the future, especially in cities. Within the framework of the CEDIM call "Impacts of heat waves and droughts in Germany on society, economy and ecology", therefore, among other things, ways of recording the impact and perception of heat waves in urban areas are to be investigated. These investigations will be carried out within the framework of the sub-project "Perception of heat periods in public spaces" over the next 3 years.

Public spaces such as urban squares and pedestrian areas in Karlsruhe will be the focus of the planned study. On the one hand, science can record heat periods and temperature extremes scientifically-physically via satellite data and local, (bio-)meteorological measurements; on the other hand, it can map the impact of heat and its perception in the population sociologically via surveys. The aim of the project is to record all three levels of observation and their interrelationships and to draw conclusions about the stress situation during hot spells and possible discrepancies in perception.

Forschungskonzept Hitzeprojekt — Combined research concept

Associated institute at KIT: Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (IPF), Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS)
Author: Denise Böhnke (June 2023)