ASCCUE - Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change in the Urban Environment | Umweltbundesamt

See UKCIP project

The climate effects analysed for buildings, infrastructure and people in populated urban areas are caused by flooding, land slips, rising sea levels, extreme heat and cold, water scarcity, hail and storms, air pollution and intensification of the urban heat island effect. The main problems for towns and cities in the United Kingdom result from coastal and river flooding, subsidence, wind and storm damage, and the effects of hotter summers.

The vulnerability of cities to climate change will be analysed. This primarily includes estimating the vulnerability of the current building stock and transport infrastructure to risks resulting from flooding and geological processes. Social adaptation capacity only plays an indirect role in the investigations.

Adaptation can firstly be achieved by changing practices and/or structures to reduce damage or implement alternatives, and secondly by implementing arrangements to reduce the vulnerability of communities, regions or activities.

The objective is to develop adaptation strategies for populated urban areas. In particular, three issues will be analysed:

1. Integrity of the built environment: The focus here is on reducing the risks for buildings to flooding and geological processes.
2. Human wellbeing: The objective here is to provide town planners and relevant stakeholders in towns with guidelines that allow adaptation to different weather conditions and enable optimum wellbeing to be achieved.
3. Urban green spaces: Here, the regulating effect of urban green spaces on energy exchange between the town and the surrounding land and on hydrology will be studied and the effects analysed to reduce the climate effects for people and buildings.
4. In addition, incorrect or poor adaptation is to be avoided.