We are going to improve the local climate by the project ClimaUrbanKošice

Climate change is a global problem, but its extreme effects are mostly of local significance: heat waves, floods, storms, droughts and the rise of the average temperatures or rapid changes in thermal extremes. Our city within its project “The City of Košice Reacts to Climate Change – Together We Can Achieve More (ClimaUrbanKosice)“ wants to prepare measures to mitigate the effects of climate change, increase resilience against the extreme impacts of climate change, and thus improve health protection and create a better biodiverse environment for life.

From the point of view of mitigation, this project will mainly achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and, above all, an effort to slow down warming. From the point of view of adaptation, the City of Košice wants to be prepared more efficiently for the consequences of the climate change, such as heat waves, floods or dry seasons. The main goal of the project is to introduce systematic planning and implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in the City of Košice through a comprehensive Action Plan aimed at Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation.

The City of Košice has set out on the path of a proper urban climate policy in order to achieve specific mitigation and adaptation climate measures. Together with the district Košice-Západ, our city is implementing the pilot project ClimaUrbanKošice from the aspect of creating a new city climate strategy. We are implementing a territorially concentrated project, the aim of which is also the creation of an environmental centre focusing on education and changes in the patterns of behaviour of the inhabitants of the City of Košice in relation to climate issues.

• Within the project activity No. 2 the Municipality of the City of Košice is going to apply 5 climatic measures: modernization of public lighting, isolation of the roof construction, photovoltaic system, rain gardens, retention container for improving the management of the rain water. The rain garden – the presented draft project will follow the improvement of drainage proportions of the rainwater from the given area, slowing down the process of draining away of the surface water and to facilitate this way the rainwater sewerage system in the concerned area. The second aspect is the improvement of the residential microclimate of the attic spaces in the City Hall building. The third important aspect is the aesthetic solution of the visual perception of the City Hall building by incorporating solitary trees into the concept with the intention of revitalizing the given space.

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• Activity No.3: Water garden on Ťahanovská Street – applies four climatic measures: a cascade of rainwater ponds, infiltration elements for infiltration of rainwater from the paved areas with a filter unit, a fountain and two water sprayers

• Activity No.4: The inter-generational community centre on Laborecká 2 Street implemented by Partner 1 of the project (MČ Košice – Západ / district Košice – West) includes the following 9 climatic measures: thermal insulation of the building, thermal insulation of the roof, replacement of the old windows and doors with new ones having low sunlight permeability, replacement of the former lighting devices for more economical ones, hydraulic and equithermal regulation of the heating system, extensive vegetation green roof with an area of about 500m², bright and reflective elements in public buildings, establishment of a rain garden, a retention container for better management and capture of rainwater.

• Activity No.5: Environmental Centre, built up by Project Partner No. 1 (MČ Košice – Západ) – will focus on achievement of a specific measure: information-communication campaign by means of a web page, mass media and social media. The planned Envirocentre will provide educational and scientific activities for the visitors of the inter-generational centre.

• Within the project activity No. 6 entitled “Information and Publicity”, we successfully organized our own online conference for the project, which was attended by 22 people. We have created a project website. At the end of 2022, a professional seminar of experts on the given issue is planned, who will evaluate the elaboration and status of the action plan and the project as a whole. In the spring of 2024, at the closing conference of the project, we will present an action plan and our experience with its implementation. We will evaluate the achieved milestones, activities and measurable indicators of the project.

The project activities are focused on the following target groups: citizens of the City of Košice; residents of the relevant urban areas; external clients / citizens (including the most vulnerable groups in terms of climate change impacts – seniors and the disabled), as well as employees of the City of Košice. The project will bring the end users an improvement of their environmental living conditions and protection of their health.

The project is implemented in partnership between the city district Košice – West and the City of Oslo. The beneficiary of the project grant is the City of Košice.

More than 90% of the investment measures of project are implemented in the territory of the District Košice-West /Košice-Západ/. The selection of activities and measures was made with regard to the adaptation capacity and sensitivity to the effects of climate change in accordance with the Adaptation Strategy to the increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves.

The partnership with the City of Oslo has been designed in a way to draw on the experience of a world leader in implementing innovative policies in environmental policy, reducing CO₂ emissions and adapting to climate change. Oslo, as the European Green Capital of 2019, has successfully implemented a number of projects that can be a useful inspiration for Košice in applying measures to reduce the impacts of climate change.