According to current climate projections, heatwaves are expected to rise in duration, frequency and/or intensity. Due to high concentration of vulnerable people and infrastructure, proceeding urbanization and already elevated temperatures in cities due to the urban heat island effect, urban areas are especially threatened. This work presents a spatially explicit heat risk assess-ment approach for urban areas that combines hazard assessment by modelling of mean radiant temperature (Tmrt) with vulnerability analysis. Mean radiant temperature is able to provide infor-mation about human thermal comfort for clear, warm summer days. The radiation flux model SOLWEIG, topographical and meteorological input data were used to model the spatio-temporal distribution of Tmrt during a chosen heat day for the study site Maxvorstadt in Munich. Nine socio-economic and two physical environment indicators (percentage of trees and proximity to parks) were selected for the vulnerability index. The highest Tmrt loads were observable between 2-3 pm, the lowest from 5-6 am. Shadow of buildings and vegetation equally lower Tmrt, while a negative linear relationship between tree coverage and Tmrt is apparent. Open spaces are hot-test during daytime and coolest during nighttime, while the opposite applies to densely tree covered sites. Combination of hazard and vulnerability assessment provide valuable insights for city planners, while availability of spatially more specific data improves assessment results. Fur-ther research should investigate the relationship between thermal comfort perceptions and Tmrt.
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According to current climate projections, heatwaves are expected to rise in duration, frequency and/or intensity. Due to high concentration of vulnerable people and infrastructure, proceeding urbanization and already elevated temperatures in cities due to the urban heat island effect, urban areas are especially threatened. This work presents a spatially explicit heat risk assess-ment approach for urban areas that combines hazard assessment by modelling of mean radiant temperature (Tmrt) with vul...
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