On Thursday 17 June 2021, the Dresden climate adaptation concept was launched with a drone survey of the KiWi daycare centre and the Marie Curie Secondary School. For this, the Environmental Office is collecting data on the heat load of municipal facilities in the Old Town and the New Town of Dresden as a first step. The drone used is equipped with one optical and one thermal sensor and measures the surface temperature of buildings and terrain.
“The temperature data from Dresden have been showing a steady upward trend for years. In the past few years, periods of heat and drought have become more frequent. The heat island effect in the city is becoming stronger and stronger. This can have an impact on the health of the people of Dresden. Heavy rainfall events have also increased in intensity and frequency. In the future, these weather conditions are expected to intensify. Therefore, it is important to mitigate climate change through climate protection measures and at the same time to advance adaptation to changes that are already occurring,” explains Environment Mayor Eva Jähnigen (for more info on climate and mobility policies visit here).
The Thuringian Institute for Sustainability and Climate Protection GmbH (ThINK) from Jena has been commissioned with the preparation of the climate adaptation concept. The experts first prepare an analysis of the affected areas. From this, suitable adaptation measures are derived for Dresden and a strategy for successful implementation is developed. Due to the high impact of heat and flooding in the two city districts of Altstadt and Neustadt, these areas are particularly in focus. The findings from the thermal flights play an important role here. Further measurements by drone are also planned in educational institutions in the Tolkewitz and Striesen districts.
In 2017, Dresden joined the “Covenant of Mayors” city network funded by the EU Commission. In doing so, Dresden committed to the introduction and further development of a Sustainable Energy and Climate Adaptation Plan (SECAP). In Dresden, the SECAP is made up of the two urban concepts of the Integrated Energy and Climate Protection Concept (IEK) and the Climate Adaptation Concept.
As part of the EU project “MAtchUP” for the development of a smart and sustainable city, the Office for Economic Development shares the experience gained with other European municipalities. This helps to develop important building blocks on the way to sustainable energy and climate adaptation. Head of Office Dr. Robert Franke: “Thanks to the financial support of the EU, we can further develop our new climate adaptation concept here and promote new concepts within the city. The local economy also benefits from this.”
The climate adaptation concept is to be completed by summer 2022. In addition to the intensive participation of the various offices of the city administration, the citizens in the focus areas of Neustadt and Altstadt will also have their say in due course with their experiences, wishes and suggestions. After all, the sustainable implementation of adaptation measures can only succeed if they are accepted and wanted by all those involved.
