10.01.2026

The Right to Cooling – New Social Standards in Hot Cities

Building design

Close-up of a green leafy plant in an urban context, taken by T.H. Chia.

Anyone who lives in a hot city knows this: Heat waves are no longer a rarity, but rather a part of everyday urban life—yet in many places, the right to cool off remains an empty promise. New social standards are needed, because access to cool places, shade, and fresh air is becoming a matter of survival. How can urban planning ensure the right to cooling? And what do these standards mean for the future of our cities?

Definition and Historical Development of the Right to Cooling in an Urban Context
Relevance and urgency in light of increasing heat waves in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
Technical, social, and planning measures to ensure cooling in urban spaces
The importance of green spaces, water, green facades, and new materials
Social justice: Who benefits, and who remains disadvantaged?
Legal frameworks, standards, and international models
Integration of the “right to cooling” into urban development and land-use planning
Innovative projects and best practices from German-speaking countries
Critical Reflection: Potential Conflicts of Interest and Risks in Implementation
Outlook: How Can Our Cities Truly Become “Cool” for Everyone?

Heat Stress as a New Urban Reality: Why a Right to Cooling Is Long Overdue

Central European cities are at a tipping point when it comes to their climate resilience. Summer in Frankfurt, Vienna, or Zurich now feels like a long-distance trip to Southern Europe—only without the refreshing sea breeze. Heat records are being shattered, nights remain tropical, and asphalt surfaces turn into scorching hot plates. Studies show that cities can now be up to ten degrees hotter than their surrounding areas—the notorious urban heat island phenomenon. Those who work during the day learn to cope with stuffy public transit cars and sweltering offices. But children, older adults, and people with chronic illnesses are particularly vulnerable. The heat is becoming a social issue—and a political one.

This is precisely where the concept of the right to cooling comes in. It demands that every person—regardless of income, background, or neighborhood—must have access to cool, healthy urban spaces. What may initially sound like a luxury problem is, in reality, a necessity in the fight against health damage, excess mortality, and social exclusion. Even today, excess mortality rates in metropolitan areas are measurable during hot summers. The World Health Organization emphasizes: protection from heat is protection of health.

Historically speaking, cities have never been designed to cope with extreme heat. Dense development, impervious surfaces, and poor ventilation—all of these are relics of past planning paradigms. With the climate crisis, however, adapting to heat is becoming a matter of survival. Urban cooling is no longer a minor issue but a fundamental component of urban development. Cities like Paris and Barcelona have already enshrined the right to shade and cooling in their strategic documents. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, this debate is still in its infancy but is rapidly gaining momentum.

The urgency of the matter is further fueled by current climate forecasts. Meteorological institutes warn that heat waves are becoming more frequent, longer-lasting, and more intense. Even supposedly green cities like Munich and Freiburg are feeling the strain. Public spaces that were previously considered places of recreation are becoming danger zones for many people. The right to cooling is defined not only as access to air-conditioned indoor spaces, but above all as the right to livable, climate-friendly outdoor spaces.

The question, therefore, is no longer whether the right to cooling must be established, but rather how and with what tools. Policymakers, administrators, and planners face the task of setting new standards—and implementing them in a socially just manner. Those who fail to act now risk heat stress becoming a catastrophe for urban society.

Urban Planning in Heat Mode: Tools and Strategies for More Cooling

Urban climate resilience stands or falls on the ability to adapt to rising temperatures. Urban planners and landscape architects are needed now more than ever to develop effective cooling strategies. The spectrum ranges from short-term measures, such as temporary water features, to long-term redevelopment programs for entire neighborhoods. The key lies in an integrative approach that combines technology, nature, and social concerns.

A key tool is the systematic removal of impervious surfaces. Impervious surfaces trap heat, while unsealed, vegetated areas act as natural air conditioners. Cities such as Vienna and Zurich are increasingly relying on “sponge city” concepts, in which rainwater can seep into the ground, thereby enabling evaporative cooling. Green roofs and facades are also being specifically promoted, as they not only reduce temperatures but also improve air quality and biodiversity.

Water is becoming the new gold of urban cooling. Open water areas, fountains, and “blue spots” not only create microclimate oases but also invite people to linger. Barcelona and Paris have already launched municipal programs to expand water features near residential areas as well as public drinking fountains. In Berlin, temporary water misting installations are increasingly being set up to provide quick relief on hot days.

But technology alone is not enough. The design of shaded spaces—through tree planting, pergolas, or mobile shade structures—is another key component. Here, special attention must be paid to conflicts of use in public spaces. Who gets shade first: playgrounds, schoolyards, bus stops, or outdoor dining areas? Prioritization is not only a planning decision but also a political one.

Finally, the focus shifts to material selection and street furniture. Light-colored, reflective surfaces, innovative building materials with low heat storage capacity, and climate-responsive street furniture are the way forward. In Zurich, special benches are already being tested that use evaporative cooling to keep the seating surface at a comfortable temperature. However, all these measures must be embedded in an overarching concept that combines social, ecological, and cityscape-defining aspects. Only then can true added value be created for all city residents.

Social Standards for Hot Cities: Equity, Participation, and Legal Certainty

The right to cooling is not just a technical issue, but above all a social one. People living in air-conditioned penthouse apartments suffer less from heat waves than those in cramped, poorly ventilated older buildings or high-rise complexes without green spaces. Cities act as social magnifying glasses—and heat stress hits the most vulnerable the hardest. The challenge for urban planning and policymakers is to view cooling not as a luxury good, but as a basic social service.

Social standards must focus on where the burden is greatest. This means targeted measures in disadvantaged neighborhoods, mandatory greening of schoolyards, free drinking water stations in public spaces, and access to cool shelters for homeless people and other vulnerable groups. Pilot projects in Vienna and Basel show that mobile shaded areas, air-conditioned emergency shelters, and “cooling centers” can make a difference during heat waves.

Involvement and participation are further key pillars. Without the involvement of residents, many measures remain ineffective or are even rejected. Participatory planning processes, in which residents can share their experiences with heat, lead to tailored solutions. Digital tools such as urban climate apps and online participation platforms help identify needs and implement projects in a targeted manner.

Legal certainty is the backbone of every social innovation. In Germany, there is currently no explicit legal enshrinement of the right to cooling. Initial steps can be found in climate adaptation laws at the state level or in municipal bylaws. Paris and Barcelona are going further: There, the right to shade and access to water is already enshrined in the city constitution. In Switzerland, too, there are discussions about enshrining the issue in the Spatial Planning Act. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are at the beginning of a paradigm shift that must bring together legal norms, technical standards, and social justice.

If this balancing act succeeds, the right to cooling will become the driving force behind a new, resilient urban society. If, on the other hand, it remains limited to declarations of intent, there is a risk of a patchwork of isolated measures—and social division will continue to deepen.

Innovative Projects and International Role Models: How Cooling Is Becoming an Urban Norm

The good news: There is no shortage of innovative projects and bold pioneers who take the right to cooling seriously. A look at Paris shows how strategically the city is proceeding. The “Oasis Schoolyards” project transforms paved schoolyards into green, shaded oases of well-being—with trees, water features, and cool retreats. The spaces are also open to the neighborhood and become part of the local climate network. Paris goes even further: With the “Paris Resilience Strategy,” the city has adopted a heat action plan that mandatorily integrates shade, water, and fresh-air corridors into urban planning.

Barcelona stands out with its “Pla Clima”—a master plan for urban resilience. Here, streets are repurposed as “superblocks,” cars are barred from certain areas, trees are planted, and water features are installed. The goal: Every resident should be able to reach a cool, shaded spot within five minutes. Public cooling centers, known as “Refugios Climaticos,” are open to particularly vulnerable groups. Here, the right to cooling is not just a slogan, but a living reality.

Similar approaches are emerging in German-speaking countries—though they are often still in the pilot phase. In Vienna, the “Cool Streets” concept was developed: temporary road closures, mobile plants, water features, and seating areas provide relief from the heat in densely built-up urban areas. In Zurich, “Blue-Green Corridors” are being tested, which connect waterways and green spaces to improve the microclimate. In Berlin, neighborhoods are emerging with “climate squares” that are specifically being de-paved and greened.

Technological innovations are further driving this change. Sensor-based urban climate analyses, smart irrigation systems, and digital heat maps help to guide targeted measures and assess their effectiveness. It is becoming clear that the best solutions emerge where technology, nature, and social innovation go hand in hand. It’s not enough to simply install a fancy evaporation system—it must be integrated into residents’ daily routines to gain acceptance and have a real impact.

The international exchange of experiences is indispensable in this regard. Cities such as Melbourne, Toronto, and Seoul already have many years of experience with heat action plans and cooling rights. Learning from them does not mean copying their concepts, but rather adapting them to local conditions and further developing them. Only in this way will cooling become a matter of course in urban areas—rather than the exception.

Conclusion: Cooling as a Human Right—and a Benchmark for Sustainable Urban Development

The right to cooling is not a passing fad, but the foundation of a just, healthy, and livable city. The days when heat waves were dismissed as meteorological anomalies are over. Urban planning must reinvent itself: cooling is becoming a central task—and a social obligation. The challenges are immense, and the potential solutions are diverse. The spectrum ranges from reducing impervious surfaces to urban water features, from innovative materials to legal frameworks. What matters most is that everyone has access to cool, healthy spaces—regardless of where they live, their income, or their social status.

International trends show that it is possible to integrate the right to cooling into city constitutions and urban land-use planning. Innovative projects demonstrate that technical, social, and design measures work together effectively. But the road ahead is rocky: without legal clarity, political resolve, and broad participation, the right to cooling remains a paper tiger. Cities in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are at the beginning of a learning process that can only succeed through courage, creativity, and collaboration.

Ultimately, it’s about more than just temperature—it’s about quality of life, health, and social justice. Those who establish social standards for cooling today are making cities fit for the future, protecting the most vulnerable, and setting an example for a new kind of urban solidarity. The cool cities of tomorrow won’t emerge on their own. They are created—with expertise, foresight, and the firm resolve to leave no one behind in the heat.

20.01.2025

Design

Sculpture of the month: Stone postcard from Solingen

Building design

Bush knife: The Solingen cutting tool turned stone on the right by the hedge. On the left, an unnamed steel sculpture by Thomas Röthel

Steel products from Solingen, especially knives, are known all over the world. Even in the South American jungle, Bud Spencer warned his partner Terence Hill of a “postcard from Solingen” in his back – i.e. the switchblade in the hand of the sneaking attacker – in the 1973 cinema classic “Two Heavenly Dogs on the Road to Hell”. For the tenth anniversary […]

Steel products from Solingen, especially knives, are known all over the world. Even in the South American jungle, Bud Spencer warned his partner Terence Hill of a “postcard from Solingen” in his back – i.e. the switchblade in the hand of the sneaking attacker – in the 1973 cinema classic “Two Heavenly Dogs on the Road to Hell”. To mark the tenth anniversary of the Solingen Fair (June 8 & 9, 2018), a local natural stone company has now created an oversized stone knife.

The Solingen trade fair focuses on the products of local industry, in the classic city of blades, of course, especially the well-known steel products. Directly opposite the venue of this largest trade fair in the Bergisches Land region – the local ice rink – is the premises of Marmor Pauly, which has been working in natural stone since 1871. “A knife doesn’t always have to be made of steel,” thought owner Armin B. Pauly, architect and graduate civil engineer.

And it doesn’t have to be handy either: together with the self-employed stone sculptor Hartmut Hegener, he created a butter knife sculpture on a scale of 10:1 to place in front of the entrance to the trade fair and point out that, in addition to the proud steel tradition, there are also many years of stone masonry activity. The knife measures 2.30 meters with a handle made of polished Anröchter Grünstein, a calcareous sandstone from the Soest region. The finely ground blade made of “Belgian granite”, the Belgian equivalent of Aachen bluestone, was made with ground-in fiberglass reinforcement. The contrast between the darker blade and the lighter handle is enhanced by the different cut, which makes the Belgian bluestone appear particularly dark. For installation, the artwork was anchored on a base stone made of black Swedish in the area of the main entrance.

Art exhibition flanked the trade fair

Because Pauly is a cosmopolitan, art-loving person and the “knife made of natural stone” contains a wink at other materials, an art exhibition with a wide variety of materials was held on his factory premises opposite the trade fair from June 8 – 10, 2018 – in addition to works by sculptors and painters, including steel sculptures by Thomas Röthel and Stephan Mensler. This created a bridge between materials and street sides.

After the event ended, however, the city of Solingen showed no interest in keeping the potential postcard motif in front of the ice rink – so the monstrous knife will soon find a new home with a well-known steelware manufacturer.

12.01.2025

Design

Museum of 1000 Places

Building design

Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany has been commissioning art in architecture for its buildings in Germany and abroad since 1950. Over the decades, around 10,000 works have been created. Natural stone works are also included. Now the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) is making the works of art digitally accessible – via the online platform “Museum of 1000 Places”. In conversation with Dr. Ute […]

The Federal Republic of Germany has been commissioning art in architecture for its buildings in Germany and abroad since 1950. Over the decades, around 10,000 works have been created. Natural stone works are also included. Now the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) is making the works of art digitally accessible – via the online platform “Museum of 1000 Places”. In conversation with Dr. Ute Chibidziura, consultant for art in construction at the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning, about the ambitious project.

Ute Chibidziura: It’s an online presentation for the federal government’s art in construction. In other words, art that is created in connection with construction projects. Since 1950, art in construction has been realized in federal buildings, so that over the years an internationally unique stock of post-war art has been created, which includes the works of many well-known artists in all genres and techniques. We wanted to present this collection of art, which is spread across hundreds of properties in Germany and abroad, in a bundled form.

Many works of art are not accessible to the public …

One peculiarity of art in architecture is that it is tied to the building and is realized in places that are only accessible to a few people for security reasons or, like embassies, are in geographically remote locations. As a result, there are numerous works of art that are little known or have fallen out of sight over the years. With the “Museum of 1000 Places”, we can bring them back into the public eye and make them accessible to the general public.

Why in the form of a virtual collection?

The collection comprises around 10,000 works of art in total. We couldn’t present them in an illustrated book or in an exhibition – that would go beyond any organizational and personnel framework. The “Museum of 1000 Places”, on the other hand, is structured in such a way that works of art can be added bit by bit and the museum grows continuously. In addition, changes can be made to the content at any time. Art in architecture would be difficult to show in a traditional exhibition anyway, because in order to illustrate its location in the spatial context, you would have to build a model of each room or building and prepare picture galleries and texts for it, which would mean an enormous amount of work for just a few examples. Another advantage of a virtual exhibition is that it is not tied to a specific location, but can be viewed from home via the Internet.

How does the digital museum visitor navigate through the site?

There are several ways to access the art: an intuitive one via the images of the artworks on the homepage, a systematic one via the artworks, artists or locations tabs and one via the free text search. Within the artworks, you can sort by technique or context of use.

What information can you find when you call up a work of art?

You will find detailed information about the artwork in its architectural context, about the building and the property, and of course about the artist. It explains the artist’s career, the focus of their work and where else they have realized art on buildings. All information and photos relating to a work of art are stored in the form of a PDF that can be downloaded.

How does the virtual museum build a bridge to the physical world?

The museum indicates whether a work of art is freely accessible or at least open to the public, so that you can also view Kunst am Bau as part of a Sunday stroll. In addition, all works of art will gradually be equipped with a QR code that can be used to link to the “Museum of 1000 Places” to obtain detailed information about the work of art.

Which works of art are made of natural stone?

One important example is the “Rising Phoenix” by Hannes Schulz-Tattenpach on the Old House of Representatives in Bonn. This work of art made of limestone was the first work to be selected and commissioned after the Second World War as part of an open art-in-architecture competition. The phoenix rising from the ashes was intended to refer to the situation of the Federal Republic of Germany at the time, which had to reorganize itself as a democratic state after the war. The motif was still considered so apt in 1974 that it was used as a stamp on a special postcard issued by Deutsche Post to mark the 25th anniversary of the Federal Republic.

You can take a look at the database here: www.museum-der-1000-orte.de.