Vienna is fighting the heat: where are the cool zones?

Vienna is fighting the heat: where are the cool zones?

High temperatures don't make life in Vienna particularly pleasant, especially if you're an older or more sensitive person. In recent years, the number of hot days in the city has increased significantly, which is a major challenge, especially for children and vulnerable groups. Many apartments are not adequately equipped to withstand the heat, which significantly limits well-being in the summer months. How the crown reports, the city of Vienna has therefore created “cool zones” to counteract the heat. These freely accessible, cool rooms can now be found in 15 districts. After a pilot year in 2023, these oases of refreshment have become more than twice as numerous.

However, there are also downsides: these cool zones are not yet represented in the Simmering and Landstrasse districts, where over 200,000 people live. The Greens from Simmering have already raised their voices and are demanding that cooling zones be urgently created here. “There is something going on,” said the opposition’s statements. Alternatives to municipal facilities do exist, such as the Red Cross Cooling Center in the Huma Eleven shopping center, but the need is clear and the pressure to act is growing.

The goal: a close-knit network

Climate City Councilor Jürgen Czernohorszky (SPÖ) has recognized the increasing demand for these facilities and announced that 12 cool zones were opened last year and 22 this year. “A close-knit network of cool zones should be created so that all Viennese have easy access to these cool retreats,” says Czernohorszky. Users of these zones can relax and recharge their batteries on hot days.

But it's not just about these projects. According to a study by the Federal Environment Agency, which deals with the topic of “sustainable air conditioning in buildings”, the urban heat islands in cities no longer correspond to the current state of things. The results show that additional measures are urgently needed to combat rising temperatures sustainably. Trees with large crowns, shading elements, green roofs and spraying water can help reduce temperatures by up to 10 Kelvin. It would be particularly wise to integrate such measures in the new cooling zones in order to achieve a long-term improvement in the quality of life in the city.

In addition, brightly colored buildings and better insulation of living spaces could help reduce heat development in apartments. The goal should be to reduce the energy requirement for cooling. After all, who wants to be stuck with high electricity bills in the summer months?

Overall, it is clear that Vienna has already become somewhat active, but still has a lot of room for improvement. The challenges posed by global warming are great, and urban planning must act now to ensure that Viennese people can continue to live a comfortable life in summer temperatures in the future. Because one thing is clear: in this heat, you need more than just a few cool zones to meet the demands of the times.