SciWalK: An interdisciplinary Urban Climate and Biodiversity Learning Lab integrating Microclimate Measurement and Adaptation Strategies

Urban regions increasingly face culminating challenges of climate change impact, such as heat stress, altered precipitation patterns and biodiversity loss. This imposes serious risks to human well-being and urban ecosystems. Effective responses require integrated strategies that include environmental monitoring, adaptation planning, and community involvement. Therefore, we started SciWalK (Science Walk Climate Adaptation and Biodiversity) as an interdisciplinary real-world learning laboratory at the University of Stuttgart. We aim to bridge education with hands-on experience, urban microclimate science and future-oriented spatial adaptation measures in urban environments.

SciWalK is a two-semester Master’s module involving students from architecture and urban planning, civil and environmental engineering as well as electrical engineering. During the project students construct portable microclimate measurement systems (“sensor backpacks”) and conduct measurement walks in the urban context of Stuttgart, Germany. These sensor systems capture physical key parameters including air temperature, relative humidity, radiation and wind speed, enabling high resolution characterization of urban microclimate variability on street level. The student teams benefit from the prior knowledge and perspectives of peers from different fields of study, whom they would not normally encounter in their own discipline; and by this preparing them for post‑graduation collaboration on sustainable adaptation strategies across fields. The final public “Science Walk” presents the results to an interested public raising awareness within the community.

At present, a fully functional prototype has already been developed. Based on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, the system is capable of recording air temperature and relative humidity (SHT-31D), mean radiant temperature (light grey globe, 40 mm, MAX31685), and wind speed (Modern Device - Rev. C). On this basis, the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) is calculated automatically. Spatial positioning is captured via a custom-developed smartphone application programmed using MIT App Inventor, which records GPS coordinates at the same temporal resolution as the microclimate measurements. The resulting datasets are subsequently visualized as georeferenced outputs in QGIS. Physically, the measurement system is integrated into a custom-designed 3D-printed housing.

By the time of the conference, two additional measurement-tracker designs will have been developed by the student teams, and further sensors will have been integrated to enable improved assessment of wind speed as well as air quality and illuminance. In addition, extended data analysis and complementary evaluation campaigns will have been completed. Consequently, the presentation will not only introduce the developed prototype but also report key lessons learned from the first pilot semester of student involvement.

Overall SciWalK highlights how interdisciplinary education and participatory observation contribute to resilient cities in the face of global climate change. This integrated approach aligns with the goals of EGU26’s Urban Climate Science and Services session, demonstrating how observational tools and innovative educational formats can lead to adaptive urban climate strategies.