Frankfurt is fighting the heat: City is planning cool places and new measures!

Frankfurt is fighting the heat: City is planning cool places and new measures!

According to the German Environmental Aid's heat check, Frankfurt is the fifth hottest city in Germany, and the weather forecasts for the coming days are worrying. Temperatures of up to 36 degrees Celsius cannot be ruled out in the next few days. This heat, which affects many people in the city, poses major challenges, especially for residents of poorly insulated buildings and attic apartments. The high density of asphalted streets and buildings makes cooling even more difficult, as the health department also notes. People in densely built-up districts such as Fechenheim, Höchst, Riederwald and Griesheim are particularly at risk.

Health expert Peter Tinnemann points out that not everyone suffers equally from the heat. People with low incomes in particular often live in hot neighborhoods where there is a lack of green space. This contributes to the uneven distribution of heat consequences. Wealthy city dwellers are increasingly moving to cooler, greener areas. An expensive business that requires many to feel the segregating heat. “The heat periods are expected to be longer and more intense, and tropical nights will also occur more,” Tinnemann further noted.

Health risks and prevention strategies

If temperatures rise above 32 degrees, there is a risk of health problems. The stress is considerable for many people, especially on tropical nights when temperatures do not fall below 20 degrees. But what can you do to keep yourself fresh during these times? There are some simple tips to help maintain well-being:

• Viel trinken – Wasser, ungesüßte Tees oder Saftschorlen sind ideal.
• Im Schatten bleiben und Pausen einlegen.
• Kühlere Orte aufsuchen, wenn es möglich ist.
• Leichte, helle Kleidung und Kopfbedeckungen tragen.
• Körperliche Anstrengungen vermeiden und Sonnencreme verwenden.
• Besondere Vorsicht ist bei Säuglingen, Kleinkindern und älteren Menschen geboten.

The city of Frankfurt has also reacted: the health department has published a “Cool Places Map” that identifies cooling options in the city. Measures such as more green spaces, special heat protection plans and drinking water fountains are also being considered to make access to free drinking water easier. Anette Christ from HR spoke on the “Doppelkopf” program about the health effects of climate change and the importance of these measures for citizens.

The vision of a heat-protecting city

The city's vision for the future is clear: there should be more shade from trees and car traffic in hot areas should be reduced. Experience reports from other cities such as Paris show that innovative transport concepts and urban design can have positive effects when it comes to counteracting urban heat islands.

Frankfurt is faced with the challenge of counteracting the health effects of extreme weather conditions. The combination of urban density and climate change brings additional challenges. Community efforts to help citizens cope with the heat are a step in the right direction, but there is still much work to be done to create a fairer and cooler city.

Given all these factors, this year's summer may well be recorded as the coolest of all - to ensure that this is the case, we as a community have a responsibility to actively manage the heat.

For more information about the current measures and health tips in Frankfurt, visit frankfurt.de and Tagesschau.