Building heat resilience in Zagreb, Croatia

Key Learnings

• Green infrastructure/Nature-based solutions: Heat is not equally distributed in urban areas, as the existence (or lack) of vegetation strongly affects local temperatures. Green infrastructure can contribute to cool the surrounding area by up to 4°C. There are several additional benefits for other sectors, including an improvement in air quality and the overall quality of life in the area.
• Multiple co-benefits: While green infrastructure was mainly implemented to counteract urban heat, it can also deliver multiple co-benefits (e.g., health, social, economic and environmental). For example, green roofs can provide insulation, manage stormwater, and offer recreational spaces, maximises their value and efficiency.
• Planning and implementation at local level: The local circumstances that provide the impetus to implement green infrastructures are very different, even within one city. Solutions need to be tailored to circumstances at the district level. Involving a broad range of relevant stakeholders contributes to finding the most effective solution and enables successful implementation.

Summary

The example of Zagreb demonstrates that implementing nature-based solutions offers a promising response to increasing heat in cities due to climate change and urbanisation processes, helping move towards climate resilient cities. Such green structures contribute to the cooling of city blocks by several degrees and offer a broad range of co-benefits to cities plagued by heat stress. In planning nature-based solutions, it is essential to involve all relevant stakeholders to fit the adaptation measure to the local circumstances and the wider context.

Contact

Name: Miljenko Sedlar

Organisation: North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency

Email: isabella [dot] kolbreiterer-scherling [dot] at (msedlar[at]regea[dot]org)