In the research project HeatResilientCity II (HRC II), practitioners are qualified on the basis of research results to accelerate and consolidate the implementation of adaptation measures against summer heat. The second funding phase builds on the results of the previous HRC project (10/2017 - 01/2021), which developed and implemented effective, socially just and user-accepted adaptation measures. It also identified key actors, drivers and constraints of adaptation measures.
This knowledge base, which will be expanded and generalised in HRC II at the level of different building and settlement structure types, will be used to provide practitioners with specific advice and qualifications. The knowledge will also be established in existing and new networks.
In HRC II, implementation support is understood as a form of targeted knowledge transfer at the interface between science and society. The aim of knowledge transfer is to qualify, advise and empower actors from civil society, associations, local governments, politics, business and non-governmental organisations in a way that is appropriate for the target group, based on research results. The work addresses specific constraints to implementation that have already been worked on intensively in HRC. These are the 1) often missing or unclear responsibilities, the low level of inter-agency cooperation on the cross-sectional task of climate adaptation and the lack of resources in the administrations, 2) heterogeneous ownership structures, 3) perceived non-responsibility, 4) lack of knowledge or 5) lack of awareness on the part of the housing owners and managers, the municipal administrations, the affected residents and the other practitioners addressed (see Figure 1).
Effective communication and cooperation formats are developed for the various aspects of knowledge transfer with the involvement of the actors and their needs. The impact-oriented communication design in the different formats serves to strengthen the motivational factors that act as drivers, such as problem awareness, responsibility and knowledge. Applicable, solution-oriented knowledge is generated in the qualifications, thematic and expert workshops, consultations and in the transfer-oriented work and communication processes. This is integrated into the decision-making processes of the actors that prepare for implementation.