Celle loses green crown: Heat check brings only yellow!

Celle loses green crown: Heat check brings only yellow!

In a current analysis of German Environmental Aid (DUH), Celle lost its status as the greenest city of Lower Saxony and now only ends up in 8th place in Hitze-Check 2.0. In the previous year, the city had been classified as particularly heat -resistant and ranked 22nd nationwide. But how did this quick crash in the ranking?

The Hitze-Check 2.0 rates 190 cities with over 50,000 inhabitants and has introduced the innovative heat instinctive index (HBI), which now also takes into account how many people live in heavily loaded areas, where high temperatures, lots of sealing and little green spaces meet. Celles HBI is 14.57, which positions them in Lower Saxony on average affecting. For comparison: The greenest city of Lingen (EMS) only has an HBI of 12.77. Wilhelmshaven follows with 13.05, Nordhorn with 13.45 and Oldenburg with 13.54.

urban overheating and sealing

The analysis is based on satellite data, which were evaluated by the Potsdam Luftinte Environment Planung GmbH. It shows that more than 12 million people in Germany live in cities that suffer from extreme heat in summer. Places with high area sealing are particularly affected. Celle currently has a seal of 44.59 percent and a green volume of only 4.17 cubic meters of vegetation per square meter.

Mannheim is the worst throughout the examination, followed by cities such as Ludwigshafen and Worms, where up to 91 percent of the population live in heavily loaded areas. On the other hand, North German cities such as Flensburg, Wilhelmshaven and Osnabrück show far less heat load, which indicates better urban structures and more green areas.

an appeal to urban planning

The results of the heat check call for quick action. A greener urban planning could make a decisive contribution to reducing the heat load. Trees and parks are not only a nice sight, they also lower the temperatures by several degrees and ensure a more pleasant city climate. According to the Ministry of Building, it can be cooler under treetops within a radius of 40 meters up to ten degrees. It is therefore of the greatest importance to rely on the creation and preservation of green areas.

The DUH also created a traffic light card as part of this examination: 31 cities received a red card due to high heat load, 131 cities reached a yellow card thanks to medium load and only 28 cities made it into the green category with low heat load. These figures illustrate the urgent need for action in German cities.

The Hitze-Check 2.0 once again shows that the challenges of our urban environments have to be taken seriously. Future -oriented urban planning, which relies on sustainability and a good degree of green, is not only desirable, but almost necessary. Further information on the study and the results can be found on the homepage of the Duh here , as well as additional details about the special heat load in cities on Spectrum .

The coming years will be crucial to improve the city climate in Celle and other cities and to promote the quality of life. A good hand in urban planning is now required!