Wiesbaden. The Hessian Association of Cities is calling on municipalities to provide financial support for implementing heat protection measures. “Cities have to deal with financial obstacles during implementation and cannot solve all structural problems,” the municipal association said in a statement to the German Press Agency.
Since municipalities have different financial situations, they cannot implement all fundamentally sensible measures and have to deal with their respective local circumstances. “The state is also obliged to take this additional task into account with regard to the municipalities’ financial resources, in addition to drawing up plans and concepts.”
Given climate change, cities and municipalities would have to expect temperatures to rise in the future. “It is therefore necessary for public spaces to take appropriate climate adaptation measures in order to make the effects of temperatures bearable for citizens.” years would have increased.
Poor working conditions
As a precaution, the climate must be taken into account when strategically planning a city’s development, the Association of Cities explained. “One measure is to keep fresh air ducts open so as not to exclude the possibility of natural cooling.” Corresponding measures must be taken in addition to new construction projects also in existing areas and are just as important as renovation. “However, cities are limited in terms of public spaces.”
Citizens could also contribute to precautionary measures by providing their properties with green plants that are hardy and provide shade. (dpa/he)
