- Southwest cities also fail heat checks.
Several cities in the southwest do not adequately protect residents from summer heat, according to the German Environmental Aid (DUH). A study found that there are too few trees and hedges and too much sealed surface area. As a result, these cities are becoming "heat hells," the lobbying organization criticized in its nationwide survey. "The ongoing trend of more concrete and less green is alarming," it said.
Heilbronn is at the bottom of the southwest ranking by the organization. Following it are Ludwigsburg, Mannheim, Rastatt, Waiblingen, and Esslingen am Neckar. These municipalities received the red alert from DUH. Heilbronn is also ranked second-to-last nationwide, just behind Ludwigshafen am Rhein.
Large cities like Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Pforzheim, and Freiburg are in the middle of the state's overview. However, the environmental aid also awarded three green cards to Baden-Baden, Tübingen, and Schwäbisch Gmünd. According to the study, these are cities with relatively little sealing and plenty of cooling greenery.
For its so-called heat check, the environmental aid had satellite data analyzed and compared the sealed areas and green equipment of 190 cities in Germany with more than 50,000 inhabitants.
Southwest city association against binding green shares
The cities are challenged to adapt to climate change, responded Susanne Nusser, deputy managing director of the Baden-Württemberg City Association. The municipalities need a suitable legal framework, as well as financial and professional support from the state and federal governments. Citizens must also participate.
"Nationwide uniform standards, for example for greening schoolyards or binding green shares in municipalities, as proposed by DUH, are not helpful in our view," said Nusser on request.
Given climate change, green areas and unsealed soils, where water can seep in, are particularly important, emphasized the environmental aid. However, trees, shrubs, and meadows are even more effective than lawn areas. Particularly large trees have a cooling effect. The organization calls on the federal government to prescribe nationwide standards for greening, for example, schoolyards.
Ranking Environmental Aid
In the southwest's environmental ranking, Mannheim is listed among the cities receiving a red alert due to insufficient measures against heat, following Heilbronn at the bottom. To adapt to climate change, the Baden-Württemberg City Association suggests a suitable legal framework, financial support, and citizen participation, while opposing nationwide uniform standards for greening proposed by DUH, such as binding green shares in municipalities.
