Saarbrücken – Open space planning as a field of action for adaptation measures

Background and Goals

Saarbrücken has around 180,000 inhabitants and is located in the valley floodplain of the River Saar. The state capital can look back on a mining and industrial past, whose legacy provides great potential for open space development.

Saarbrücken's susceptibility to climate change is determined by the increased occurrence of extreme heat events that cause a reduction in thermal comfort and stress for residents, and by the increase in flooding and inundation events.

Objectives:

The expansion of Saarbrücken's open space development program with measures for adaptation to the effects of climate change pursued three central project objectives:

  1. Example identification of potential adaptations transferable to other local authorities as part of sustainable urban open space planning and implementation of specific strategies and programmes of measures at district level,
  2. Initiation of a process in civil society to address the issue of climate change (climate change governance) to highlight interfaces with key urban fields of action and with higher level planning levels, and
  3. Participation and involvement of the population at district level into the formulation of adaptation strategies and measures.

Content time

to

Research area/region

Country
  • Germany
Region of implementation (all German federal states)
  • Saarland
Spatial resolution 

Saarbrücken

Steps in the process of adaptation to climate change

Step 1: Understand and describe climate change

Approach and results 

The German Meteorological Office (DWD, Senior federal authority in the BMVBS) is providing the required climate data for all Urban Climate projects as a basis for climate effect estimates. Further information and results of regional climate model analyses were based on cooperation between the state capital and the transnational inter-regional project "C-Change - Changing Climate, Changing Lives".

Parameter (climate signals)
  • River flooding
  • Heat waves
  • Altered rainfall patterns
  • Higher average temperatures
  • Extreme precipitation (incl. hail, snow)
Further Parameters 

threshold days for temperature and precipitation

Step 2a: Identify and assess risks - climate effects and impact

Approach and results 

Extreme heat events and increase in flooding and inundation events

Step 2b: Identify and assess risks - Vulnerability, risks and chances

Approach and results 

Heat stress vulnerability check: The increase in summer heat stress will mainly have a negative impact in residential areas that already demonstrate increased thermal stress. Within these stress zones, sensitive residential areas are differentiated by the parameters of construction and population density; in addition the parameters of traffic volume, air pollution, age structure, sensitive uses and social structure were used in the detailed analysis at district level. The natural adaptability of sensitive residential areas is significantly influenced by their greening - for example the size and features of open spaces around buildings and the green coverage of roads - but also by the existing public green and open spaces and by climatic factors from open land (ventilation routes, cold air formation zones). The overall vulnerability is derived from the combined analysis of the thermal stress, the sensitivity of a district and its natural adaptability.

Extreme precipitation events were also studied as a further consequence of climate change. In this case, the sensitivity is determined by the risks to residential areas (inundation, flooding or slope runoff) and the presence of critical infrastructure or facilities (e.g. processing of water polluting substances). In conjunction with the central waste disposal authority (ZKE) an initial approach has been developed to limit vulnerability to extreme precipitation, which includes identification of road sections at risk of inundation

Step 3: Develop and compare measures

Measures and/or strategies 

Development of open spaces and green spaces as cold air formation zones, recreation areas and retention areas.

Time horizon
  • 2071–2100 (far future)

Participants

Funding / Financing 

Ministry of Transport, Construction and Urban Development (BMVBS) and Federal Institute of Construction, Urban and Spatial Research (BBSR): KlimaExWoSt: StadtKlima

Project management 

research assistance: agl - Applied geography, landscape, urban and regional planning

Cooperation/Partners 

Regional Planning in the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Transport of the Saarland, Saarbrücken Regional, RAG Montan Immobilien GmbH, GMS building management operation Saarbrücken, CCU Central Municipal waste disposal firm Saarbrücken, Real estate group Saarbrücken, Stadtplanungsamt Saarbrücken, Office of Air and Environmental Protection in Saarbrücken, Project Group "city center on the river".
With the Interreg IVB project "C-Change. Changing Climate, Changing Lives", working in the framework of the national capital and the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Transport of the Saarland (MUEV) already, these activities will also be embedded in a transnational partnership.

Contact

Landeshauptstadt Saarbrücken
Nassauer Straße 4
D-66111 Saarbrücken

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Fields of action:
 buildings  human health and care  spatial planning, urban and settlement development  water regime and water management