LifeCoolCity Project

Remote Sensing as a solution for effective urban climate change adaptation

The ambition of the "Use of remote sensing for management of blue-green infrastructure in the process of city adaptation to climate change” (LIFECOOLCITY) project is to support the management of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) in 10,000 cities in the European Union. This will be addressed by implementing innovative systems that utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing (satellite and aerial imagery). The goal is to enhance the adaptive capacity of cities to the effects of anthropogenic climate change and bring them closer to the model of smart cities of the future.

As a result, city administrators and residents will gain access to four informational products grouped into two computer systems. These will help identify the most significant adaptive needs of their respective urbanized areas, develop a BGI management strategy to minimize climate-related risks, and monitor the effectiveness of its implementation.

The EUROPE system, based on the satellite data, will identify areas in European cities with intensified environmental challenges, and consist of two products:

• "EU cities Ranking of BGI":  a free report published periodically from 2025 until the end of the project, providing an assessment of the state of BGI in at least 10,000 cities across the European Union. It will offer insights into trends in the condition of BGI in cities, allowing for a comparison of the scale of challenges as well as adaptive needs in respective locations.
• "BGI SAT-MONITORING Report for city":  a paid report containing more detailed information on the spatial variability of a specific city's environmental issues. Orders for this report will be possible starting from 2025. It will include maps illustrating the spatial distribution of environmental problems within a given city, and highlight areas with the highest intensity of such alarming issues. Ordered periodically, it will provide knowledge about the temporal changes in the range and severity of environmental problems within the city.

The CITY system will operate based on information obtained from aerial surveys and will serve as a decision-support tool for implementing specific Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) at the city level. Within the CITY system, it will be possible to order two paid products:

• "BGI AUDIT Report for city": This report will identify key intervention areas for BGI improvement within the city and propose the most beneficial nature-based solutions. The BGI audit will also identify ecologically valuable areas that should be protected due to their positive contribution to climate change adaptation.
• "BGI AIR-MONITORING Report for city": This report will assess the state of implemented BGI solutions and their effectiveness.

The first city for which a BGI reconstruction concept will be developed based on the project's products will be Wrocław, Poland. By utilizing aerial data and other remote sensing informational products, the city's needs will be identified. Subsequently, actions will be implemented, including BGI reconstruction, changes in the management of the city’s green areas, and the protection of particularly valuable locations in the context of climate change adaptation. The effectiveness of the implemented changes will then be evaluated.

During the project, an informational and educational platform called "Life in a Cool City" will be created, providing direct access to the developed informational products. It will serve as a knowledge base regarding the utilization of remote sensing in urban climate change adaptation.
The project is being jointly implemented by seven organizations:

• Wrocław City
• University of Łódź, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, UNESCO Chair of Ecohydrology and Applied Ecology
• University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences
• Ingenieurgesellschaft Prof. Dr. Sieker mbH
• Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences
• UNEP/GRID Warsaw at the National Fund for Environmental Protection

The project activities are planned for the years 2023-2029.

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