Urban areas across Europe are increasingly dealing with rising temperatures and heatwaves, which disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Through a peer-to-peer learning exchange event, Malmö (pilot city within Adaptation AGORA) and Valencia (one of the project’s Followers), have shared challenges, tools and practices aimed at addressing heat vulnerability and fostering the engagement of vulnerable communities in heatwaves preparedness and response. You can watch the recording of the event here.
What is the heat context in Malmö and Valencia?
The city of Malmö, situated in a colder northern climate, has historically prioritized winter-proof infrastructure, unintentionally creating heat traps during the summer months. Recognizing this challenge, the city is now taking steps to incorporate heat vulnerability considerations into urban planning. Ludwig Sonesson, Climate Adaptation Strategist at the City of Malmö, explained how heat is currently not included in Malmö’s main strategic document for city planning, but it’s the administration’s ambition to include it in the next general plan.
While in Sweden the the early warning system is coordinated at national level and then dispersed throughout the municipal administrations, in the Spanish context, the early warning system is coordinated as part of the Regional Heatwave Programme. Through the Programme, levels of health risk are set daily for each municipality according to maximum temperature forecast for the following days. Based on these, the Communication and Coordination Protocol in the Event of a Heat Wave in the Municipality Of València 2024 indicates what actions the city of Valencia should undertake for each level of risk. In terms of urban planning frameworks, Valencia does not have one single strategy on heat, but rather several strategies addressing heat from multiple perspectives: the city’s Urban Strategy; the Climate City Contract developed within the Cities Mission but with clear adaptation considerations, the Green and Biodiversity Plan; and the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP).
Who is vulnerable and where?
As part of the Adaptation AGORA project, Malmö developed a Social Vulnerability Index to map populations at greater risk from heat. Interestingly, as reported by Mathilda Englund from Stockholm Environment Institute and Linköping University, community-centric research conducted in the neighbourhood of Rosengård revealed that, while socio-economic status often indicated potential vulnerability, cultural and social resilience sometimes lessened heat-related impacts. Nonetheless, critical issues such as high indoor temperatures due to poorly ventilated apartments and social isolation persisted as significant concerns.
In Valencia, the Regional Heatwave Programme, updated every year, identifies vulnerability from health, social, and labor perspectives. Living in urban environments can increase citizens’ vulnerability to heat due to the urban heat island effect. However, as stressed by Emilio Servera-Martinez from València Clima i Energia, urban morphology and the different distribution of services and green infrastructure can, among other factors, lead to different sensitivity to heat and adaptive capacities in different areas of the same city. An area worth further exploration, as suggested by Emanuel Toft, Project Research Officer at the City of Malmö, is the role of cultural adaptive capacities, beyond physical ones. Social capital and trust in local authorities should also be considered when mapping vulnerability, as suggested by a participant in the event, reflecting on the experience of the City of Milan with the Zurich Foundation’s Climate Resilience Measurement for Communities (CRMC) framework.
Key strategies to increase heatwave preparedness
Despite the differences among the two cities, some overlapping issues and opportunities have been identified. For example, in both cases the adaptation of the built environment will be key to reduce over-reliance on air conditioning and the effect of heat traps caused by high levels of insulation. Cities need to embed heat adaptation into urban infrastructure and planning, including among others low-tech cooling solutions, and upscaling cooling shelters. For example, in May 2024, Valencia launched its Climate Shelters Network, converting public spaces into cooling areas for social engagement during heatwaves. However, the approach faces challenges, including the growing demand for such spaces and the need to extend their operational hours. Meanwhile, Malmö is exploring ways to transition its existing network of “Heat shelters,” run by civil society organizations in collaboration with the city, into “Cooling shelters,” with the intention of providing a one-stop-shop for vulnerability.
To this purpose, vulnerability mapping from different perspectives should guide the prioritization of investments and interventions. For example, thanks to the European project Fair Local Green Deals, Valencia had the opportunity to perform a diagnosis of heat and vulnerability taking into consideration socio-demographic factors and developing a proposal of priority actions against heat with a just resilience and equity perspective, to be included in the Climate City Contract in future revisions.
Training programs to a variety of stakeholders, and educational workshops targeting behavioural shifts (e.g., avoiding strenuous activity during heatwaves) are needed to complement infrastructural solutions. In addition, social networks play everywhere a crucial role in the attempt to build heat-resilient communities.
Furthermore, representatives of both cities emphasised the need to identify and support hard-to-reach groups like homeless individuals and pregnant women. The use of proxies and the collaboration with local organisations and associations already working with vulnerable groups are a key element for effective engagement and to refine vulnerability assessments.
By sharing insights and learning from one another, cities like Malmö and Valencia are paving the way for equitable and innovative approaches to urban heat resilience. Their experiences underscore the importance of cross-sector collaboration and community participation in tackling the climate challenges of the future.
This event was part of a series of four online Peer-to-Peer Learning sessions being held until April 2025, involving the pilots of the Adaptation AGORA project and addressing key issues related to climate adaptation and public participation. This series of events aims to foster the exchange of knowledge, resources and methodologies that can facilitate public participation in Climate Adaptation Plans in different European cities, regions and communities. Sign up to the AGORA Community Hub to get access to all the material.
If you would like to join Adaptation AGORA’s network of followers, send an email to info[@]adaptationagora.eu.
