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Zagreb resident details plan to cool city, citing Vienna and Paris as examples
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia /Environment & Climate

Zagreb resident details plan to cool city, citing Vienna and Paris as examples

From Veฤernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A Zagreb resident has proposed detailed solutions to combat the urban heat island effect in the city, citing examples from Vienna, Copenhagen, and Paris.
  • The resident points to unplanned construction and excessive concrete as primary causes of rising temperatures and "heat islands" in Zagreb.
  • The proposals include reducing concrete surfaces, mandating green spaces around new buildings, and creating large parks to mitigate the impact of increasingly frequent and longer heatwaves.

A Zagreb resident has outlined a comprehensive strategy to combat the urban heat island effect plaguing the Croatian capital, drawing inspiration from European cities like Vienna, Copenhagen, and Paris. The resident argues that years of unplanned development and extensive "concretization" have created "heat islands" that exacerbate the impact of rising temperatures.

We are witnessing how a good part of the city was built unplanned due to the previous GUP and through the very concretization and packing of buildings onto every free green surface, so over the years what every big city has happened, and that is heat islands.

โ€” Zagreb residentThe resident describes the cause of urban heat islands in Zagreb, referencing past urban planning decisions.

Citing data showing an increase in days exceeding 30 degrees Celsius and longer heatwave durations, the resident noted that even on cooler days, certain streets in Zagreb feel uncomfortably hot and stuffy. Areas like Ozaljska street at its junction with Tratinska are highlighted as examples of streets lacking any greenery or shade, contributing to the problem of radiating heat absorbed by asphalt and buildings.

The "greens" are currently in power, whose focus should primarily be on the infrastructure and technologies themselves that will give the city a higher level in the fight against heat that is felt much more and stronger in a city like Zagreb.

โ€” Zagreb residentThe resident suggests that the current city administration should prioritize infrastructure and technology for heat mitigation.

The proposed solutions focus on reversing the trend of unchecked development. The resident advocates for reducing concrete surfaces and requiring developers to incorporate green spaces around new buildings, facilitating tree planting. Greening neighborhoods and transforming large unused areas, such as the former Gredelj site, into substantial parks are presented as key strategies to help the city better withstand current heatwaves and lessen the impact of future ones, which are predicted to become more frequent and prolonged.

What are the solutions? Primarily, one should reduce concretization in the city and force investors who build buildings to have a certain green area around the building so that there is a possibility of planting trees.

โ€” Zagreb residentThe resident proposes concrete steps to reduce urban heat, focusing on development practices.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Veฤernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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