Scorching asphalt: the climate crisis in cities

The latest LMU research magazine on heat explores how cities—dense with asphalt and buildings—intensify climate change impacts, driving more frequent heatwaves and elevating record-breaking temperatures. The magazine also features an article about Dr. Clemens Schwingshackl’s research on heat stress in European cities. Based on climate model simulations, he shows that cities in Southern Europe will heat up strongest but with coastal cities being a bit less affected as they benefit from the cooler Mediterranean Sea. In contrast, cities in Northern Europe will heat up more slowly, but high temperatures of the Baltic Sea may amplify temperatures in cities located at its coast.

Also Munich is showing a marked increase in days exceeding 30 °C. Whereas such hot days were rare in the past—only seen in exceptionally hot summers—since the mid-2000s, Munich has averaged nearly ten or more of them each year. Under continuing global warming, this could soon become the norm. A satellite-based surface temperature map of Munich pinpoints the old city center, main train station, and northern industrial zones as the most intense urban heat islands in summer.

To act against the increasing heat in cities, smart urban planning is essential: greening rooftops and façades, expanding parks and water features, and boosting shade and airflow can cool cityscapes and protect communities.