LIFE CITYAdaP3: adapting cities to cope with climate change

Europe’s cities face wide-ranging challenges due to climate change, from extreme urban temperatures during heatwaves to flooding brought by increasingly intense storms. LIFE CITYAdaP3 tested solutions to boost urban resilience and make life for residents, workers and visitors more comfortable. 

Building cities’ climate resilience is a key part of the EU’s Adaptation Strategy and a report from 2023 by the European Environment Agency underlined the urgent need for them to adapt. The 4-year project used public-private partnership (PPP) financing with local businesses to test 8 radically different ways of doing this – from porous concrete pavements with wooden shades to renovating traditional ‘cave houses’ –  with  4 municipalities in Spain and Italy participating in the pilot actions. 

In Alcantarilla, southeast Spain, the project used porous concrete and paving to construct a pathway for pedestrians and cyclists between the town centre and an industrial estate to the west. The permeable surface helps it dry quickly after heavy rain — reducing the risk of flooding — and contains hi-tech pollution-eating compounds which help clean the atmosphere. 

Sections of the route are shaded by wooden structures and climbing plants to provide some relief during hot summer periods. More than 9 000 cyclists and 121 000 pedestrians have used it over a 2-year period, says Marta Reguilón del Monte, who worked on the project as a partner. 

In Italy, the team planted 1 700 trees to provide shade in 4 urban parks in Reggio Emilia, creating ‘microforests’ and hedgerows around children’s play areas, benches and dog walking areas. These public spaces now provide respite from the heat in the summer.  

In 2 urban parks in Molina de Segura, Spain, more than 600 native shrubs were planted, herbaceous plants and trees. Vegetated roadside ditches reduce flooding by diverting water runoff during torrential rain.  

Heavy rain is also a problem in the nearby small town of Lorquí, famed for its unusual ‘cave homes’ carved out of rock faces. More than 200 are currently inhabited, but many have suffered collapses, landslides and damp in recent years. 

LIFE CITYAdaP3 tested different methods including concrete blocks, structural grids and vegetation to stabilise hillsides around the town. One of the cave houses was restored using recovered traditional bricks and lime mortar to demonstrate how its interior vaults could be sustainably rebuilt.  

Interior sensors showed that cave houses can provide a cool refuge during the summer heat without the need for air conditioning. ‘Temperatures inside the cave house remained stable at around 22°C even when outdoor temperatures reached nearly 45°C, proving its efficiency in passive cooling,’ says Marta. 

The LIFE CITYAdaP3 project contributes to the EU Adaptation Strategy as part of the European Green Deal.