Research Centre Human Biometeorology, German Meteorological Service, Stefan-Meier-Str. 4, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany; Chair of Environmental Meteorology, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Werthmannstr. 10, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany.
Democritus University of Thrace, 69100 Komotini, Greece.
Environ Int. 2024 May;187:108718. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108718. Epub 2024 May 8.
Traditional heat health warning systems focus on severe and extreme heat events at the district or regional level, often overlooking localized risk and protective factors such as healthcare access and urban green spaces. This approach considers less the varying impacts of heat within cities, including the phenomenon of Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) and the diverse needs of different populations. To address these shortcomings, a need for the development of an Urban Heat Health Warning and Information System (UHHWIS) that operates within the framework of Heat Health Action Plans is needed. Such a system integrates national acute heat health warnings with city-specific assessments of UHI effects and other relevant factors. The technical implementation of the UHHWIS involves the calculation and preprocessing of basic factors such as the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), imperviousness, and UHI intensity. Additionally, further factors are assessed, spatially processed, and provided in accordance with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards. An iso-area analysis is conducted to evaluate the accessibility of protective factors, such as urban green spaces, drinking wells, hospitals, physicians, and pharmacies, based on the city's road topology. One crucial factor considered in the system is the casting of shadows, which is influenced by both time and location and facilitated through deck.gl. The developed template encompasses all these components into a unified system aimed at protecting vulnerable and risk groups, such as the elderly, through resilient, climate-adapted urban planning. The system provides warnings and information tailored to the urban morphology and prevailing conditions, complemented by a catalogue of potential short- to long-term measures focused on behavioral changes and climate-resilient urban planning strategies. The template can be adapted for use in various European cities, offering valuable insights to decision-makers in city administration for mitigating thermal stress and enhancing resilience against urban heat nowadays and in future.
传统的热健康预警系统侧重于地区或区域层面的严重和极端高温事件,往往忽略了当地的风险和保护因素,如医疗保健的可及性和城市绿地。这种方法较少考虑城市内部热量的不同影响,包括城市热岛(UHI)现象和不同人群的不同需求。为了解决这些缺点,需要开发一种在热健康行动计划框架内运行的城市热健康预警和信息系统(UHHWIS)。该系统将国家急性热健康预警与城市特定的 UHI 效应评估和其他相关因素相结合。UHHWIS 的技术实现涉及基本因素(如归一化差异植被指数(NDVI)、不透水层和 UHI 强度)的计算和预处理。此外,还根据开放地理空间联盟(OGC)标准评估、空间处理和提供其他因素。基于城市道路拓扑,进行等面积分析,以评估保护因素(如城市绿地、水井、医院、医生和药房)的可达性。该系统考虑的一个关键因素是阴影的投射,它受时间和位置的影响,并通过 deck.gl 来实现。开发的模板将所有这些组件纳入一个统一的系统,旨在通过有弹性的、适应气候的城市规划来保护弱势群体和风险群体,如老年人。该系统提供针对城市形态和当前情况的预警和信息,同时还提供了一系列潜在的短期到长期措施,侧重于行为改变和气候适应型城市规划策略。该模板可以适应各种欧洲城市使用,为城市管理决策者提供有价值的见解,以减轻热应激并提高城市对未来热的弹性。