Cities facing climate change: sustainable adaptation and resilience to heat waves

Cities are complex ecosystems where environmental, social and economic dynamics come together. Climate change faces one of the greatest challenges in its history: adapting to the new extreme climate conditions and ensuring the population's health, equity in the use of resources, the development of economic activities and the sustainability of the entire built environment. To meet this challenge, science and technology must join forces to develop adaptation solutions, both on the building scale and on the urban space scale, viable, sustainable and adapted to the specific reality of each environment.

In this context, this Summer Course is presented as a multidisciplinary meeting point to address the phenomenon of heat waves, one of the major challenges facing our cities in the context of climate change. Bringing together researchers from the academy, Public Administration, and business sector representatives, the aim is to foster dialogue and cooperation to design innovative and effective solutions that improve the resilience of the environment built in front of these events.

Throughout the sessions, emphasis will be placed on the role of science in understanding and mitigating the impact of heat waves. Success stories that inspire and guide strategies for adapting the built environment will also be presented. The course will also emphasize the importance of cooperation between the actors involved as a means of proposing effective and equitable solutions which, in addition to addressing the climate challenge, will contribute to reducing inequalities and social vulnerability.

The course program will foster open debate, promoting an inclusive approach that combines technical knowledge, practical experience and social vision, with the aim of building cities more prepared for future climate challenges.

Methodology

This two-day Summer Course aims to bring together voices from different fields to shed light on the complex phenomenon of urban adaptation to heat waves. To achieve this, three main blocks have been designed.

The first will focus on risk assessment and its impact on health, showcasing various research projects being developed to measure vulnerability and risk in cities regarding heat waves. The second will address the most suitable adaptation solutions for the built environment, with particular emphasis on Nature-Based Solutions, as well as their monitoring and evaluation. The third will explore adaptation strategies being implemented internationally, highlighting successful cases and key lessons learned. Each block will feature three to four presentations, followed by a final debate to encourage dialogue between speakers, researchers and attendees.

The course will conclude with a roundtable discussion featuring specialists from different disciplines, aimed at integrating the perspectives presented during the sessions, identifying common challenges and outlining joint action lines to build more resilient cities against heat waves.