Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

This essay is written with the background of the ongoing global warming and
urbanization. The essay is a deepening of the current situation in the example of the
city of Barcelona with concrete examples of solutions for Swedish cities against
urban heat islands. With the work, I hope to be able to provide both the individual
reader and the Swedish cities with the preservation of connections between theory
and practice and, through new knowledge, raise new questions about the
formulation of the problem to secure future urbanization.
The consequences of global warming are heat waves that will become significantly
more frequent and more prolonged as the average temperature on earth continues
to rise. In cities which are densely built the consequences of the heat waves are heat
stress, which is a direct threat to human health. Urban green areas and green
infrastructure have the potential to help the city adapt to the changing climate and
provide better living conditions for the inhabitants. As the cities continue to densify,
the area for green infrastructure will become smaller and smaller. A hypothesis that
Scandinavian cities lack planning and preparedness for heat waves through green
infrastructure will be confirmed in the essay because the focus has been on other
climate measures. Scandinavian cities have not previously had to deal with a hot
climate, but now the cities need to rethink for the future. Therefore, Barcelona's
urban green areas will be analyzed by their current green status and how they are
valued through an analysis model called the City Biodiversity Index. Which
strategies that are used for the vision of a green city in municipal planning
documents will also be analyzed. The city of Barcelona is chosen because it has a
significantly warmer climate all year round and has had for a long time.
Scandinavian cities can therefore be inspired by effective solutions from them.
Examples from Barcelona's actions to be a resilient city against heat waves will be
presented. However, the continued densification of the future is a remaining threat
in all cities, which will make it more difficult to construct planned green values as
a climate measures. Therefore, the conclusion is that Scandinavian cities must make
higher demands on the integration of greenery in the city's future buildings. The
conclusion will be a basis for Scandinavian cities' future work in planning to be a
resilient city against heat waves and continue to provide good living conditions for
the inhabitants.