C-Change

Mitigation and adaptation strategies on different spatial planning levels

In Saarland we are 'climate-proofing' the Saarland state development plan and the Saarbrücken open space development plan. Download the related case studies here.
 
State Level
At state level, the regional climate models provided by the ZWEK project and the Regional Climate Atlas for Germany were analysed for the time horizons of 2021-2050 and 2071-2100. A comparison between the number of hot days during the reference time horizon (1961-1990) and the projected time horizon (2026-2055) emphasises the strong increase in hot days. The prevailing land uses have been analysed with regard to their exposure, their sensitivity, and their current and prospective adaptation capacities. Even today, the Saarland is one of the warmest regions in Germany and heat stress during the summer months is expected to increase as a result of climate change. For these reasons, the Saarland is deemed highly vulnerable to heat stress. The vulnerability check combines the sensitivity information with the projected number of hot days (exposure). It takes into account the adaptation capacities of densely wooded areas with a favourable bio-climate. The next steps will focus on the joint development of instruments for mitigation and adaptation to be integrated into the Saarland state development plan. Finally, an action programme for the Northern Landscape of Industrial Culture will demonstrate implementation strategies on a regional scale.

 
Local City Level
At local level, the C-Change project has initiated the climate-proofing of the Saarbrücken open space development programme (OSDP). Saarbrücken is one of the nine model cities in Germany taking part in the federal programme "urban strategies in regard to climate change“ (Experimental Housing and Urban Development programme, ExWoSt). The project considers the role of open spaces coping with the impacts of climate change. The DWD (Germany’s National Meteorological Service) supports the project with temperature measurements.

In September 2011 Planungsgruppe agl published their C-Change interim report outlining their work on spatial planning and climate change in the region. Download the interim report here.