Urban heat islands (UHI) pose an increasing challenge due to urbanization and global warming. The MultiCAST project addresses this first by studying UHI effects on regional, urban, and microscale levels. This comprehensive, multiscale analysis identifies critical hotspots and microvariations within individual heat islands. Hence, the project explores how thermal stress impacts pedestrian behavior and city walkability, creating a conflict between encouraging active mobility and preventing heat-related illnesses. As vulnerable populations are at higher risk, this makes walk-accessibility an issue of health and equity.
The complex link between thermal comfort and walk-accessibility requires detailed exploration within urban settings. As climate change increases temperatures and heat stress, integrating these considerations into urban planning is crucial. MultiCAST seeks to enhance our understanding by combining thermal hazard analysis, walk-accessibility, and pedestrian flow modeling, aiming to create climate-resilient, pedestrian-friendly cities in support of sustainable mobility, comfort, and accessibility.
Post-COVID-19, the need for livable outdoor urban spaces is clearer than ever. MultiCAST emphasizes addressing climate challenges with urgency, akin to health crises. With most Europeans and a projected 70% of the global population living in cities by 2050, the MultiCAST project is crucial for society as climate change threatens urban well-being and health. It aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11, 13, and 3 by promoting sustainable, resilient cities, combating climate change, and reducing health risks from heat stress.
The MultiCAST project has the following key objectives:
• Heat Island Study and Quantification: Conduct comprehensive studies of the heat island effect at regional, city, and local scales to understand its unique characteristics and impacts.
• Impact of Thermal Stress on Pedestrians: Quantify how thermal stress affects pedestrian behavior, providing insights for policymakers to improve city walk-accessibility during extreme heat events.
• Fine-Grain Thermal Risk Assessment: Develop a framework for assessing detailed thermal risk and heat exposure at the pedestrian level.
• Development of a Decision Support System (DSS): Build a user-friendly DSS prototype with a Web-GIS interface to allow easy querying and visualization of urban heat islands and thermal stress.
• Evaluation of Project Outcomes: Test and evaluate the developed methods, outcomes, and tools in real-world urban settings to ensure their practical applicability and adaptability.
