Heat as a Design Challenge
How to Create Climate-Resilient Urban Spaces
As temperatures rise, urban heat is becoming a key challenge in urban development. Public spaces increasingly determine how cities respond to extreme summer conditions. What is needed is a new understanding of landscape as climate-effective infrastructure. Can we learn from cities such as Athens?
Urban heat is often discussed from the perspective of climate research or technical infrastructure. Yet the place where heat is actually experienced is elsewhere: in public space. This is where it becomes clear whether a street remains walkable, whether a square can still be used, or whether a park can truly function as a place of retreat. Particularly in densely built neighborhoods, shade, vegetation, and cooling structures are often lacking. In this sense, heat is not only an environmental issue, but also a design challenge.
In her expert article for competitionline, Dimitra Theochari, founder and Managing Director of ensphere – the landscape architecture practice of the ATP Group in Hamburg – explores the adaptation of public spaces to rising temperatures and urban climate risks. Her work combines ecological urban development, blue-green infrastructure, and data-driven design strategies.
Showcasing the EU-funded project Cooling Havens Athens, she demonstrates how water can be reintroduced into the urban environment as a natural cooling source and a resource for the community. Another example is ensphere's concept for the Jungfernstieg in the Cool Places for Hamburg funding competition – a concept that combines climate adaptation, biodiversity, and social participation.
Urban comfort is not an amenity – it is an ecological performance of space.
Dimitra Theochari
Architect, Landscape Architect, Managing Director of ensphere
