Combating the heat island effect and poor air quality with green ventilation corridors

Stuttgart’s location in a valley basin, its mild climate, low wind speeds, industrial activity and high volume of traffic has made it susceptible to poor air quality. Development on the valley slopes has prevented air from moving through the city, which worsens the air quality and contributes to the urban heat island effect. A Climate Atlas was developed for the Stuttgart region, presenting the distribution of temperature and cold air flows according to the city’s topography and land use. Based on this information, a number of planning and zoning regulations are recommended that also aim to preserve and increase open space in densely built-up areas.

As a result, over 39% of Stuttgart area is protected, green areas (urban forests, trees in parks and in streets) have been expanded and ventilation corridors have been preserved from urban expansion. To further improve resilience to hotter summers and more frequent heatwaves, other adaptation measures have been and are being implemented in the city, including green roofs, greening of tram tracks and buildings, shading facades of buildings through street trees and upgrading of smaller public spaces to “cool spots”. Blue infrastructures, such as drinking fountains and other water elements are also being improved. All these adaptation measures help to reduce the heat island effect that will further increase due to hotter summers and more frequent and intensive heatwaves. Ventilation corridors and expanded green areas also contribute to improving the urban air quality, respectively dispersing and reducing air pollutants.