Islands of freshness for a city that is constantly heating up
Life in major European cities has already been significantly affected by climate change for several years and will be even more impacted in the future, for example by longer periods of heat in summer. The French capital Paris has been particularly hit hard: it could experience a climate like Seville in southern Spain, with temperature peaks of up to 50 degrees.
Predestined for Heat Waves
First, there are some unique factors to consider in Paris: it has a high level of surface sealing and is dark due to its asphalt and zinc roofs, which absorb light and heat and transmit them to the environment. In the 1960s and 1970s especially, house facades were often built with single glazing and without any insulation. Most buildings were also constructed in such a way that they primarily provide protection from cold, but not from heat. This type of construction means that heat builds up very strongly in the French metropolis.
From Oven City to Oasis City
The deputy mayor, Christophe Najdovski, who is also responsible for public and green spaces in Paris, said that heavily overbuilt cities such as Paris can even turn into real ovens in the event of extreme heat due to global warming. He continues that trees are essential for cooling cities down, as the temperature in the shade of trees is four degrees lower. To protect itself from excessive heat, especially in the increasingly hot summers, Paris, the second largest city in Europe, put together a major package of measures in June this year to better combat the heatwaves expected in the city.
The steps are combined in the concept entitled “Paris adapts” (originally: Paris s’adapte). The French capital has taken Seville and Tunis as an example – both cities that have long been experiencing hot summers and have had to take appropriate actions to combat the heat.
Reflecting White Roofs, Planted Areas, Cooling With Water – The Possibilities Are Diverse
Paris wants to replace 100 hectares of asphalt with green areas in the coming years. To achieve this goal, three more forests are to be created in the city of Paris. A total of 170,000 new trees are to be planted in the new forests and in parks. In only six months, between November 2022 and April 2023, for example, Paris already planted 25,000 trees.
A green promenade in Paris – Photo: iStock/Blazenka Babic
Over 900 parks and squares in Paris also act as “islands of freshness” for the population; in total, more than a quarter of the city’s surface area, including forests, is covered with vegetation. Where trees cannot be planted, the city creates shade roofs in the form of pavilions, or green pergolas, for example in public squares and parks.
Another of the city’s measures is to create more green spaces in the streets, for example through more vertical planting on buildings. Currently, 136 hectares of building walls have already been covered with plants; this is set to increase to 150 hectares by 2026.
The plant-covered Maison Rose on the Montmartre hill in Paris – Photo: iStock/Elisabeth Schittenhelm
Refreshment for the Parisian Population
In addition to increased urban greening, the Paris administration is also providing opportunities to cool down during hot weather. Refreshment is provided by numerous drinking fountains and water diffusers, some of them are new, others will be installed in many places. There are 1,200 of these water points throughout the city.
Drinking water fountains can be found all over Paris. – Photo: iStock/Ольга Симонова
Another simple measure that provides cooling: Painting the roofs of houses white or applying white coatings. This lowers the temperature under the roof by two to three degrees and thus protects buildings from overheating. The deputy mayor of Paris, Dan Lert, who is also on charge of the energy transition, announced: “A number of roofs on public buildings that are a priority for the City of Paris will also be painted white. When the light is reflected, the ground heats up less.” Paris invests 100 million euros every year in the ecological transformation of buildings.
Paris Climate Protection Plan: More Solar Panels for “The City of Light”
The city has developed a climate protection plan for 2023, the “Plan Climat de Paris“. Unlike the “Paris adapts” concept, this plan does not contain short-term measures, but rather longer-term actions on how the French capital can combat further global warming. These include its intention to use only renewable energies in the city by 2050. One fifth of this energy is to be generated by a 5,000 to 10,000 square meter solar power plant in the “Parc floral du Bois de Vincennes”. The city has also set itself the goal of installing solar panels on 20 percent of Parisian roofs.
More Electromobility, Fewer Emissions
Making public transport fossil fuel-free by 2025 is another goal of the climate protection plan, as transport is the main source of carbon emissions in the French metropolis. Paris is therefore focusing on pedestrians and cyclists, but also on public transport by offering better options and faster connections to encourage more people to not using a car. The aim is not only to improve services, but also to switch to electric public transport ashore and to run the vehicles used for water transportation with green energy by 2030. At the same time, the city wants to ban diesel cars from the urban landscape by 2024 and petrol cars by 2030. To promote the expansion of electromobility, the city is subsidizing the purchase of electric bikes or cars, hybrids, or even hydrogen cars.
It remains to be seen whether these solutions, which can be implemented quickly, will also achieve the desired long-term results. However, it is possible that Paris will have to initiate many more measures in the coming years to react to climate-related circumstances in the city, which can only be predicted to a limited extent at present.
Photo: iStock/MasterLu