Material and climate: Tension between climate adapted surface design and urbanistic characteristics on the basis of six city squares in Brunswick, Germany

This thesis builds on the fact that urban climates, in contrast to rural areas, are influenced by a greater extent of sealed surfaces, slower wind speeds and low air exchange combined with relatively low percentage of green areas.  In consequence, cities tend to heat up, and  people, plants and other species suffer from heat stress and longer periods of droughts.
The thesis addressed these issues by research through design in the city of Brunswick in Northern Germany. Six squares in the center of the city were chosen, which  are all sealed and already affected by high to extreme thermal load. According to the city of Brunswick‘s climate analysis, the thermal situation in the city center will even intensify in the future due to climate change. Within this thesis, transferable landscape architectural design strategies were developed that use cohabitation and biodiversity enhancing measures to mitigate heat effects in urban areas.