Although Vienna has a lot of greenery, the citizens also suffer from the heat at night. Fresh air corridors can help.
City dwellers are particularly hard hit by climate change. The concrete canyons store the heat during the day and release it again at night. There is no noticeable cooling. If the temperature cannot fall below 20 degrees Celsius as a result, the experts speak of tropical nights. Last year alone there were 25 in the city. The problem: If the body can’t regenerate itself from the heat, there are serious health consequences.
In the long term, a natural solution is needed
Air conditioners and fans only provide temporary relief. If Vienna does not want to become a “desert city”, a long-term solution is needed. Natural cold air passages should take over this function. Urban climatologist Simon Tschannett: “You can imagine the cold air as a bucket of water that you pour out. It runs along the valleys into the city.”
However, the work of these flows was complicated by obstructions and closure. Tschannett: “We used models to study how far cold air flows on a typical warm day; it reaches the area around the Belt.” The further you live in the city, the later in the night the cold air comes. Tschannett warns against this, because: “Later at night means that sleeping at night is no longer so restful.” The flow would only push the warm air in front of it because of the obstruction – the natural air conditioning system sputters.
The expert’s requirement: When planning the city, pay particular attention to the cold air corridors and preserve as much natural and unpaved soil as possible in the areas where they arise.
Petition: Prevent the construction of the Vienna Woods
Tschannett is not alone with this question. Several ÖVP politicians from the Wienerwald districts have now launched the new platform “Rettet den Wienerwald” (retttetdenwienerwald.at). They are demanding stricter building regulations, halting large-scale construction projects at the edge of the forest and halting sealing. “The Vienna Woods must be preserved as a recreation area and as an important area where fresh air is produced,” according to the initiators.
City wants to prevent structural blockages
In the past, natural cold air corridors were not taken much into account in urban planning. However, the latest climate models allow experts to measure air turbulence even on individual buildings and street corners. This is where the city of Vienna now wants to start. Andreas Januskovecz, the climate director of Vienna: “We are currently working closely with climate councilor Jürgen Czernohorszky on software to enable or maintain exactly such fresh air corridors in future urban planning.”
There are already suitable options for taking this development into account in spatial planning and zoning. The city wants to make these associated spaces visible with new software. “We want to prevent individual buildings from disturbing or potentially interrupting these natural flows due to an incorrect arrangement,” says Januskovecz.
Make air turbulence visible in courtyards too
The model should even be able to reflect air turbulence in courtyards, so that appropriate measures such as greening of buildings can be implemented even in the smallest of spaces. There is only one first model. “Now we are preparing the awards. However, a finished product is certainly not expected in the next six months,” says the climate director of Vienna.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
