More shade planned

Why Graz is barely prepared for the heat

The surface of parks and meadows is cool, the more asphalt, the warmer - as shown by thermal camera images of Jakominiplatz(Bild: Stadt Graz – Klimainformationssystem)

The first heatwave of the summer was demonstrated last week: Concrete deserts hardly cool down. But what really helps? The city government wants to implement some projects for a cooler city center. A doctor gives tips against the heat.

"For me, that would be a reason to move away." Daniel Rüdisser knows his subject - and is not sparing with harsh judgments. The urban heat expert, who carries out measurements for the city of Graz and others with his company HTflux Engineering, shows an aerial view of the Maria Pachleitner housing estate in the new district of Reininghaus. The measurement was taken during a heatwave in the morning. "It's 24.3 degrees directly in front of the apartment building," says Rüdisser. "If you ventilate at night, you'll never get below this temperature, of course. The only thing that helps is air conditioning." As a point of comparison, Rüdisser points to another building that borders a park. "It's 17 degrees there in the morning."