Green Deal

Sofia's action against the urban heat island effect.

Sofia, Yugozapaden Planning Region, Bulgaria, Βουλγαρία

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  • Nature-based solutions and green infrastructure (e.g. tree-planting, nature regeneration and greening of urban areas.)

The heat waves in 2023/2024 highlighted the urgent need to enhance society's preparedness and adaptive capacity to cope with climate change impacts and foster resilience at the city level. Currently, only a few European cities have skills, tools and strategies to counter UHI – Sofia aims to lead this.

Sofia launched a process to assess its territories and populations most vulnerable to urban heat islands (UHI). UHI have been formed in many areas of the city, mainly due to over construction, population density, poor urban planning and regulation, reduced vegetation and permeable surface, human activities. Those exposed to UHI, such as outdoor workers, people at risk of poverty who cannot afford indoor cooling, the elderly, people with disabilities and chronically ill, young children are especially vulnerable.

 

A special methodology for city vulnerability self-assessment was developed and is available at https://be-uhi-ready.net. Based on the methodology, Sofia is preparing to pilot different mitigation measures: green acupuncture – vegetation-based cooling solutions; blue acupuncture – water-based cooling solutions, and white acupuncture – cooling solutions that use innovative materials and surfaces to reduce the albedo effect.

 

Thus, climate refuge areas throughout the city will be formed and vulnerable populations trained to use them. Based on all the learnings Sofia will develop a UHI mitigation action plant to guarantee the sustainable response to climate adaptation and mitigation.

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