Dialogue Climate Adaptation: Berlin - Budapest | Umweltbundesamt

Besides using different scenarios and climate projections published by the National Meteorological Service in Hungary for Budapest and scenarios in the National Climate Change Strategy and the Climate Change Strategy of Budapest, own simulations have been modelled for the pilot areas.
The project used the Envi-met microclimatological modelling software to simulate microclimate on selected areas in the IXth district of Budapest. The results of such modelling should always be properly interpreted. Results and interpretation of the pilot areas were made available to the city administration so that the effects of climate change can be considered in urban developments as much as possible.
In the project three different dense urban areas have been selected with different functions like a transport hub, a historical and touristic place, and a green residential area. Although all three locations are heavily populated, they have distinct features that map well to the urban environment not only of the district but of Budapest as a whole.
Due to the continuous discussion with local urban planners and municipal representatives, it was possible to set different measures and climate parameters to simulate different scenarios for each place. Therefore, it was possible to demonstrate the effects both of the climate change effects and the types of redesigning urban areas. These effects could be analysed with the help of parameters like PMV – Predicted Mean Vote, Radiation, Relative Humidity, Surface Temperature and Wind Speed.

Microclimatic modelling results provided high resolution inputs to identify to which climate change effects the municipality needs urgent interventions to decrease the vulnerability of the district.
Using modeling results and considering the aims and development plans of the municipality, the project team selected three types of measures to prepare a detailed action plan for implementation on district level. Three measures have been further developed in the action plan. One to prepare for heat stress and heat waves, another to introduce municipal climate adaptive planning processes, and one to utilize rainwater in urban environment.

The most critical aspect of analyzing vulnerability is the availability of adequate data. Limited access to data in Hungary has been one of the biggest challenges in the project that the team had to face and solve. The team structured different national and international methodologies and followed directly the “Vulnerability Sourcebook” published by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Both, the top-down and bottom-up approaches were used to mix different data for analyzing vulnerability. An important output of this process was the exploration of possible data sources and their publication in the adaptation concept prepared for the municipality of IX. district and in the practical guide prepared for municipalities in general.
In parallel with the modelling, and partly based on modelling results, local data and information collected by the project team, the identification of vulnerable factors of the district was also carried out. These factors have shown how vulnerable the district is to various climate change impacts such as heat stress, lightning, and extreme storms. The vulnerability assessment formed the basis of the development of a catalogue with possible adaptation measures.

The municipality has already recognized in parallel with our project that climate adaptation is an urgent matter. The project was able to support the municipality's goals with a concrete action plan after the declaration of the climate emergency. Vulnerability analysis and the results of microclimatic modelling could parameterize the effects of climate change related impacts locally. Thus, the municipality is now able to highlight the tasks and measures needed for effective adaptation.

As a part of the development of the climate adaptation concept, also an action plan with the focus area of IX. district in Budapest has been developed. This action plan proposes measures regarding the topics heat and heavy rain in the administrative departments of health and urban planning as well as water management.

Additionally, a practical guide has been developed guiding Hungarian administrations and municipalities through the process of developing their own climate adaptation concepts.