Assessing heat adaptation measures of different households across urban structure types in transforming cities: case study of Berlin

Heat related risks have gained increased attention in science and urban planning due to their already visible impacts on human health, quality of life, and infrastructure services. However, local risk management and climate adaptation strategies focussed on heat stress often do not fully consider all determinants of urban climate risks. In addition, urban transformation processes and individual behaviour, responses to heat stress, and their capacities in different urban structures are often not sufficiently integrated into urban adaptation plans to heat related risks. Considering these research gaps, this study, as part of the urbisphere project, presents a multi-faceted approach to address the complex interplay between urban transformation, socio-demographic changes, and climate adaptation needs using urban structure types (USTs) in Berlin, Germany. We first explore the temporal dynamics of urban physical and socio-demographic structures using USTs. Then, we assess the effectiveness and acceptance of the adaptation measures by different households in selected USTs. This assessment is based on statistical data and a large household survey in Berlin encompassing more than 560 households. While the statistical data allows to classify the transformation of urban and demographic structures within the city, the household survey is used to explore how USTs and socio-demographic variables (e.g., age, income, ownership) influence residents’ behaviour (e.g., ventilation and mobility) and their willingness to implement coping and adaptation measures (structural and non-structural). The findings underscore that policy frameworks and practical urban planning approaches for climate adaptation need to better account for city transformation processes and coping and adaptation measures of different households differentiated by human vulnerability and USTs. Urban planning can build on this information, for example in terms of actively monitoring the impacts of planned adaptation on the physical and social structure within different USTs.