Seed Fund: Heat, Cities, Water
Wrocław Tech, Politecnico di Torino and ULisboa join forces to study urban heat islands. This Seed Fund project explores how rising temperatures impact not just the air, but also urban ground and groundwater.
Climate change is increasingly affecting the functioning of cities. One of its most significant impacts is the phenomenon of urban heat islands (UHI), which leads to higher temperatures and growing energy demand. Beyond the warming of air and built surfaces, processes occurring in the ground and groundwater are also gaining importance. Addressing these challenges is the international project “Heat, Cities, Water: Collaborative Studies of Urban Heat Islands”, funded by Seed Fund and conducted by Wrocław Tech in collaboration with Politecnico di Torino and ULisboa.
The research is carried out in these three European cities, which represent diverse climatic, geological and urban conditions.
“We aim for an integrated approach to analysing UHI, combining studies of atmospheric, surface and subsurface heat islands. We have planned a series of workshops, case studies and the creation of a shared knowledge base"
The project’s goal is to better understand the relationships between different types of heat islands and their impact on cities’ energy demand, particularly regarding heating and cooling of buildings. The research brings together expertise in urban climatology, hydrogeology and energy, forming a foundation for developing effective adaptation strategies.
Among the solutions under study are green-blue infrastructure, solar-reflective materials and reducing anthropogenic heat sources. The project not only strengthens scientific collaboration among European research centers but also contributes to increasing cities’ resilience to the effects of climate change and supports sustainable management of energy and water resources across Europe.