Introduction
In Vienna hot days and heatwaves are expected to increase due to effects of climate change. In urban areas, building density and a high degree of sealing also intensify the so-called urban heat island effect. To better understand the social dimensions of urban heat TU Wien started the Citizen Science project “Urban Heat Stories” in which citizens map their experiences with urban heat.
Background
Vulnerability to heat can vary greatly from one neighborhood to another. It is influenced by numerous factors, such as people's age and state of health or their immediate living environment. This is a phenomenon about which existing data so far provided little information. The citizen science project ‘Urban Heat Stories’ collects individual heat experiences of vulnerable groups in Vienna. The aim is to visualize the diverse ways in which inhabitants are affected against the backdrop of their living environment.
Concept Development
The concept was developed together with the team of Open Systems at the University of Barcelona and Wunderbyte, a company that specializes in e-learning tools and platforms. TU Wien planned to include the Citizen Science pilot in an ongoing urban development process (WieNeu+) and organized a stakeholder workshop with city administration and other local actors. In this workshop a target group and area was defined.
Research Design
The research design was made in collaboration with local stakeholders in Vienna as well as the international OPUSH framework with the University of Barcelona and Wunderbyte. It contained both a workshop setting in local neighborhoods as well as an online component that should be derived from the outcomes of the workshops. The target group were senior citizens, which are more vulnerable to the effects of urban heat. On a later stage the Workshops were continued in schools around Vienna for upscaling as well as knowledge transfer and shared experiences between youth and elders.
Workshop Activities
The methods used in the workshops included community mapping, qualitative research such as semi-structured interviews and community walks combined with heat measurements. For heat measurements the environmental NGO Luftdaten.at was onboarded and contributed with their expertise in heat and air quality measurements. They also provided the devices needed for the community walks. The activities were adapted to the target group for accessibility. First results were always shared within a feedback workshop provided to every participating group.
Conclusions
The results from the Citizen Science pilot “Urban Heat Stories” generated a lot of interest in the research community as well as with city administration. Giving Citizen Scientists the possibility to engage in urban planning processes showed that there is a lot of interest in participation and being an active part of an urban community which strengthens democratic processes in a city. For stakeholders these workshops have shown that there are valuable insights an expertise to be gained by including the public in urban planning projects.
“Urban Heat Stories” was awarded with the Austrian state prize for climate adaption and follow up projects are already confirmed. This pilot has shown that Citizen Science has the potential to generate knowledge that could not be accessed with “traditional” research methods. Including the lived experience of community members in urban research proved to be mutually beneficial to all participants be it individuals or institutions.