Extreme heat in Europe is no longer a challenge for the future, but already a reality for millions of people. New research, coordinated by Wageningen University & Research, will develop practical solutions to help European cities and regions become cooler, healthier and more resilient.
For Dragan Milošević, Assistant Professor of Urban Hydrometeorology and coordinator of the new EUROASIS project, the urgency is clear. "Unlike floods or droughts, extreme heat is largely invisible," he says. "You feel it, but you can't see it. That's one of the reasons heat is often underestimated, even though it has already become a major threat to human health and well-being in cities."
Over the next four years, he will lead the consortium of 29 organisations from across Europe. The project brings together researchers, public authorities and societal partners to develop and test 24 innovative solutions in the pilot cities of Amsterdam, Athens, Zaragoza and Reggio Emilia. Seven additional replicator regions (Mechelen, the Douro Region, Podgorica, the Region of Crete, Champs-sur-Marne, Izmir and the Rivne Region) are interested to use the project's innovations and lessons to strengthen heat resilience in their own territories. The project is funded by the Horizon Europe programme with a €10 million grant.
"Heat can determine people's health, whether they can work safely, or even whether they survive."
- Dragan Milošević
Heat is not just about discomfort
For Milošević, the impact of extreme heat is not just something he studies - it is something he has experienced firsthand. After his family fled Croatia during the war in the former Yugoslavia, he spent his childhood working in the fields in Serbia, harvesting tobacco and maize. The intense summer heat regularly led to heat exhaustion. "This taught me that heat is not just about discomfort," he recalls. "It can determine people's health, whether they can work safely, or even whether they survive."
Later, Milošević moved from the countryside to Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city. There, he witnessed how extreme heat can transform urban environments into hotspots. "These not only increase health risks, but also reduce the quality of life in cities. And it is the most vulnerable people who are hardest hit. Think of the elderly, outdoor workers, or those living in the hottest and least green neighbourhoods."
Working outdoors during heatwaves calls for extra precautions.
Practical, affordable and accessible for everyone
The ambition goes beyond making cities cooler. EUROASIS will also investigate whether its solutions improve people's well-being during heatwaves, ensure that access to cooling is not limited to the lucky few, and can be implemented in a practical and affordable way. "Applied science can make a real difference when it reaches the people who need it," according to Milošević.
The 24 solutions the consortium will be developing range from urban greening and digital tools that help people find cooler routes or places to cool down, to new ways of making work and everyday life safer during heatwaves.
From mobile shade structures to smart wearables
In Amsterdam, for example, the project will test temporary and permanent shade structures that provide 'passive' cooling without energy use. Unlike permanent shade installations, such as canopies, the temporary structures can be easily moved to places where large numbers of people gather, providing shade where it is needed most.
Alternatively, in Athens, one of the other pilot cities, the focus will lie on protecting outdoor workers. Smart wearables and a predictive planning app will help employers identify the safest places and times to work, reducing the risk of heat stress before it becomes a health problem.
And why the name EUROASIS? "It stands for European Adaptive, Systemic and Inclusive Solutions for heat resilience," Milošević explains. "But we also liked the symbolism of an oasis to find relief from the heat."
