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The city government wants to fight high temperatures with more trees, parks, or water areas.
- To make the population less exposed to heat, the Zurich City Council has planned measures.
- For example, particularly hot urban areas should be alleviated through greening and ventilation.
- The city council wants to implement the measures in stages by 2023.
Sweating in the shade, almost without cooling off in the lake: in 2018 Zurich experienced one of the hottest summers of the last 150 years. Current figures show that hot days in the canton of Zurich will increase significantly in the future. According to the climatic scenarios, in 2040 there will be twice as many tropical nights as today. For many people, this is not only uncomfortable, it is also a health problem.
Measurements at a glance
The government has developed the following measures to prevent heat build-up in Zurich:
- Fresh air should flow better between buildings: Cold air currents from the surrounding forests and hills cool down in the city. This is particularly important for the nighttime population. Therefore, new buildings and settlements should no longer hamper cold air flows from the Uetliberg or Zürichberg. In concrete terms, this means that buildings are built more compactly and with more space between them.
- Heat must be reduced throughout the city: Squares and fairways must be converted so that they become less hot. Thanks to trees, green spaces, water courses, green facades or elements such as solar sails, the city should be less hot overall. In Zurich-West, the city is already testing such small-scale measures.
- Particularly affected areas should be surveyed: Where it is particularly hot, there should be additional open spaces and green spaces that are connected by shady walkways. According to the city council, certain squares and green spaces already meet this requirement, others are being optimized or newly built.
If all measures are implemented, the daytime temperature can be reduced by up to ten degrees in individual places in summer, according to the city council. The first implementations will take place this year, and other steps will be followed until 2023. The plans of the city council are responding to the demands of the city parliament.
Voluntary measures for private builders.
However, private builders do not have to stick to planning. Measurements are only recommendations, not regulations. According to the council, it is enough to motivate private builders to build in a more climate-friendly way and to support them with expert advice.
How do the owners evaluate the proposals? “Basically, we can live with it,” says Albert Leiser, president of the Zurich Homeowners Association. “But we still have to look in detail at what the suggestions contain.” Leiser disagrees with the plan to plant more trees in different places. This is not convenient.
