Turin and Copenhagen implement urban climate adaptation strategies

Cities are increasingly adopting structural strategies to combat extreme heat and climate change. In Turin, Italy, local officials are moving away from treating heatwaves as episodic emergencies, instead integrating climate adaptation into long-term urban planning. Through tools like the Climate Resilience Plan and the NetZero Cities mission, the city is focusing on increasing urban greenery, improving soil permeability, and upgrading public spaces to protect vulnerable populations.

Copenhagen, Denmark, offers a model known as the ‘sponge city’ approach. While traditionally focused on managing excess rainfall, Copenhagen is redesigning neighborhoods to retain water during heavy rains to mitigate heat during dry periods. This method uses parks, squares, and permeable surfaces to absorb water, which subsequently helps provide shade and a cooler microclimate through increased vegetation and moisture, offering a potential blueprint for cities like Turin that face both heavy rainfall and rising temperatures.