Social vulnerability to heatwaves – from assessment to implementation of adaptation measures in Košice and Trnava- Slovakia

Country

Slovakia

Keyworld

Assessment, adaptation, public spaces

Level:

Meso

Meso

Main result

Adaptation plan

Title

Social vulnerability to heatwaves – from assessment to implementation of

adaptation measures in Košice and Trnava

Date 2013-2015

Objectives

High temperatures and heatwaves in the summer pose increasing risks to people

living in Slovakian cities. In particular older people and children, those living on top floors in poorly insulated buildings, and those relying on facilities such as nurseries, schools or care homes are prone to heat stress. The Carpathian Development Institute, in collaboration with local authorities in Trnava and Košice, carried out an assessment of vulnerability to high temperatures and heatwaves in residential environment, taking into account the social aspects. Factors such as presence of older people, children and location of facilities serving these vulnerable groups were considered.

Based on the results of the assessment, adaptation strategies are being

implemented in both Trnava and Košice, including measures such as thickening of tree stands in parks, building and restoration of water elements (blue

infrastructure) and fountains in most vulnerable places, actions aiming at changing citizen behavior during heatwaves, etc., Moreover, a neglected public open space in a vulnerable area in Trnava was redesigned to provide shading through planting of trees and other vegetation.

Location /geographical coverage

Slovakia, city of Trnava and Košice (borough of Zapad)

Organisation responsible for good practice

• In Košice, the Mayor of the Zapad borough provided political support for the

project and the civil servants provided the necessary data.

• Trnava city government

Short summary

Both Trnava and Košice face increasing temperatures. In Košice, ten hottest years

in the last 150 years have occurred since 1990, and the annual mean temperature

between 1881 and 2100 has increased by 1.6°C. Number of tropical days (mean

temperature above 30 °C) has increased in the last 20 years from 12 to 20 days (in

the year 2012 it was 37 days) and the maximum temperature frequently exceeds

34°C. Similarly, in Trnava, summers are getting hotter and winters are getting

warmer (although the winter temperatures are increasing at a slower rate than

summer temperatures). The annual number of summer days (mean temperature

above 25 °C) is projected to rise from 58 (1961–1990) to 100 (2051–2100). The

annual number of tropical days will rise from 12 to 36 in the same periods. Both

cities are likely to be affected by longer and more severe droughts in the future.

Whilst in Trnava the precipitation is slightly decreasing (more substantially in

winter), in Košice the total amount of precipitation remains steady, whilst there are more torrential rains possibly causing flooding interspersed with dry periods.

Trnava (population of about 68,000 inhabitants) is extremely vulnerable to the

urban heat island effect, due to its historical character associated with high

proportion of paved surfaces, which exacerbate heat stress during periods of high temperature. In Košice (population of about 240,000 inhabitants), large proportion of residents are living in prefabricated blocks of flats, prone to overheating in high temperatures.

The Carpathian Development Institute, in collaboration with local authorities,

carried out an assessment of vulnerability to high temperatures of the entire city of Trnava and the densely populated and materially deprived Zapad district (40,000 inhabitants) in Košice. The assessment was a basis for the development of a range of actions aiming to improve the adaptation capacity of Trnava and Košice to climate change and heatwaves in particular.

In Košice, the Mayor of the self-governed city borough of Zapad decided to prepare a climate change adaptation plan. Zapad is a relatively homogenous residential area, consisting of mainly blocks of flats constructed from prefabricated elements and poorly insulated. Despite the high density of population, there is a considerable amount of green space between the apartment blocks, making it the greenest part of Košice city.

First, a vulnerability assessment was carried out by the Carpathian Development

Institute. The following vulnerability, exposure and adaptive capacity indicators

were collected and analyzed for 200m x 200m grid cells to identify hotspots of

vulnerability and risk in relation to heatwaves:

• Percentage of people over the age of 75 and below 4 years;

• Percentage of people living in top-floor flats;

• Location of vulnerable facilities (e.g. nurseries, kindergartens, care homes

for the elderly);

• Level of thermal insulation of prefabricated apartment blocks;

• Extent of paved areas with no shade;

• Coverage of green areas, and in particular availability of green areas with a

tree crowns coverage over 60% and with surface over 2 ha (considered as the most effective in cooling);

• Surface roughness (height and orientation of buildings);

• Temperature distribution pattern (based on measurements during

heatwaves);

• Circulation of cooling air and katabatic wind (i.e. downslope, cool wind);

• Presence of air conditioning on the city transport;

• Availability of medical assistance during heatwaves.

In addition, a survey was carried out with the local citizens on the awareness of

heatwaves, knowledge of behaviors reducing heat stress risk, perceived need for

adaptation planning in their area as well as on the preferred adaptation measures.

All factors were weighted considering their influence on the risk of high

temperatures to human health, based on scientific literature, and presented on

maps. The combination of all factors produced the overall vulnerability map of the Zapad borough. The analysis allowed the identification of areas that are

particularly vulnerable from the social perspective and exposed to high

temperatures. The results, combined with the outcome of the survey, informed a

local government-led strategy including the implementation of the following types of actions:

• Improved shading through vegetation and artificial structures.

• Cooling of existing public spaces, including: increase of green areas, revitalization of existing parks and green areas, use of climate-resilient tree species, reduction of sealed surfaces, building and restoration of elements of blue infrastructure and water fountains. Among the various interventions, thickness of green stands in parks has been improved, aiming at 60% coverage of tree canopy.

• Cooling of indoor public spaces, including: improved thermal insulation,

vertical greenery, shading of transparent openings, windows and displays,

green/reflecting roofs, some use of air conditioning in most vulnerable facilities.

• Early warning system on heatwaves, developed in cooperation with the

State Health Authority of Slovakia.

• Information and educational activities for citizens related to safe behavior

during heatwaves.

Another action included in the local strategy was the establishment of a ‘climate-

correct decision-making’ programme, i.e. building capacity of public administration; introduction of mechanisms ensuring that climate concerns are

taken into account in planning and issuing of construction permits.

In Trnava, a similar approach to vulnerability assessment was taken, and similar

range of adaptation measures was developed in the climate adaptation plan.

Moreover, a former neglected open space neighboring a block of flats,

kindergarten and care home for the elderly (thus identified as a location highly

vulnerable to heatwaves) was transformed through removal of tarmac, planting of trees (to achieve 60% crown coverage once the trees mature), construction of a fountain, and provision of new benches. This resulted in an inviting green space offering respite during heatwaves, which is also being used for socializing by the local community. In addition, sustainable urban drainage systems were introduced to improve water infiltration and retention. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the measures is planned 5 years after completion of the project in 2019. At the city scale, Trnava also encourages citizen engagement in adaptation through setting up of a municipal budget (minimum 10,000 euro a year) for adaptation grant applications. The adaptation measures can be proposed by either individuals or organizations and a detailed set of criteria ensures that they are in line with the city adaptation plan. To date, mainly awareness-raising activities at local schools are being supported.

Impact

A major success factors was strong commitment from the city leadership. In Košice, a strong enabling factor was the support from the local Mayor interested in the adaptation agenda. In Trnava, the interest of the local government officials in climate change and the willingness to learn drove their participation in the international conference Climate Change and Local Development – Challenge for Local Governments (March 2012, Bratislava). Following the event, the representatives of Trnava City actively looked for support in development of their adaptation action plan. The solution was found in the joint project led by

Carpathian Development Institute dealing with the assessment of vulnerability to

high temperatures and heatwaves. The collaborative nature of the project was one of the success factors. The availability of external funding was also crucial in

completion of the vulnerability assessment and development of the climate change adaptation plans.

Innovation

The City of Trnava is one of the first cities in Slovakia with systematic approach to

climate change impacts. The adaptation plan will serve not only as a tool to tackle heatwaves and urban heat island effect; it is also considered a prerequisite for drawing external resources from EU in the funding period 2014–2020.

Lessons learned

The complexity of the process has made it clear how all-encompassing climate

change adaptation is, demanding collaborative action among governing agencies and consideration of infinite societal, ecological, and economic links

simultaneously (Energiaklub and Carphatian Foundation, 2017). It takes time for

city administrations and authorities to become familiar with climate change

adaptation. The process of mainstreaming climate change adaptation into the day- today tasks of a city must allow for trial and error to learn and find optimal ways of organizing and collaborating on this topic.

However, the adaptation plan will serve as a crucial tool in the work of adapting

to heat waves and mitigating the urban heat island effect in years to come. Making it a vivid document facilitate learning and improvement of both its interventions and processes towards its objectives. Among other, as described in the source material it may seem like there are potential for improvements of public involvement, e.g., by boosting the grant program and local initiatives regarding climate change adaptation.

Sustainability

The adaptation strategies in both Košice and Trnava are open and live documents which should be regularly monitored, evaluated and updated. They should remain valid for up to 10 years.

Replicability and/or up-scaling

Yes. The methodologies, processes and methods for both projects can be replicated and up-scaled.

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