Index
1. General data
2. Team Members
Andre Nouri (NOVA.ID.FCT); António Lopes (IGOT-CEG); Cláudia Reis (IGOT-CEG); Cristina Cavaco (FA-CIAUD); Elisabete Rolo (FA-CIAUD); Judite Nascimento (UNICV-CIDLOT); Marcelo Fragoso (IGOT-CEG); Maria Matos Silva (ISA-CIAUD); Patrik Silva (UNICV-CIDLOT); Sílvia Monteiro (UNICV-CIDLOT); Sónia Victoria (UNICV-CIDLOT); Victor Ferreira (FA-CIAUD).
3. Consultants
Jorge Malheiros
Associate Professor (IGOT-UL). Specialist in human geography, migration, urban segregation, and housing. He contributes to integrating social dimensions of thermal vulnerability and urban justice.
Gerald Mills
Physical geographer (UCD Dublin) and an international reference in urban climate research. He supports research direction-setting and conceptual validation for urban overheating adaptation strategies.
4. Partner institutions
Câmara Municipal da Praia (Cabo Verde) e Câmara Municipal da Amadora (Portugal).
5. Abstract
Urbanization and climate change are increasingly converging to create critical challenges for cities, particularly concerning thermal comfort and public health. The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, where urban areas experience higher temperatures than rural surroundings, is intensified by the neglect of natural landscape and the proliferation of impervious surfaces, leading to increased heat absorption and retention. These impacts are especially pronounced in disadvantaged urban areas, where high building density, limited vegetation, poor ventilation, and inadequate infrastructure amplify thermal discomfort. Residents in these areas often lack resources for conventional cooling solutions, making them more vulnerable to heat-related health risks and increasing reliance on public space interventions.
The pressing question that arises is: how can disadvantaged urban areas adapt to rising temperatures sustainably and inclusively? Tactical urbanism - a participatory, low-cost, and incremental approach to urban adaptation - offers a framework to address these challenges through flexible, community-driven strategies that enhance thermal resilience while fostering social equity.
To test this hypothesis, the research focuses on self-constructed, high-density areas in Praia (Cabo Verde) and Amadora (Portugal), exploring how low-cost, scalable adaptations in public spaces can reduce thermal stress. Case-study neighborhoods, selected in collaboration with municipal councils, exemplify resource-constrained environments where tactical urbanism principles - such as temporary shading installations, community-managed green pockets, and reflective surfaces - can provide immediate relief while aligning with long-term urban planning goals.
The project follows a structured research process involving four sequential stages, with continuous interaction and feedback between the research object, conceptual core, and community partners. Stages include: i) Data Collection and analysis: Microclimatic measurements (temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction), land surface temperatures, high-resolution UAV imagery, and GIS-based assessments of urban morphology (land use, impermeability, building density, and the geometric configuration of spaces), and computation of thermo-physiological and risk indices; ii) Community Engagement: surveys and participatory workshops to capture residents' experiences and co-develop culturally appropriate and practical adaptation strategies; iii) Development and evaluation of Low-Cost Interventions: tactical urbanism strategies to reduce heat stress, including the promotion of green infrastructure, increasing shading, enhancing surface reflectivity, and improving natural ventilation. Microclimatological modeling evaluates their impact on thermal comfort; iv) Capacity Building and Policy Recommendations: empowering local communities to assess and adapt to thermal risks and recommending urban planning policies that integrate thermal comfort considerations.
Expected outcomes include detailed thermal profiles of the study areas, validated tactical urbanism toolkits for heat mitigation, and enhanced community capacity in disadvantaged neighborhoods to adapt to climate risks. Collaboration with municipal councils in Praia and Amadora ensures findings inform policy frameworks, integrating thermal comfort into urban development agendas. The project builds on a pilot study in Praia's Palmarejo neighborhood (see annex1), which established a low-cost meteorological network and baseline thermal mapping, providing foundational data for scaling interventions.
Findings can be scaled and adapted to other vulnerable urban areas globally, advancing best practices for UHI adaptation. By analyzing two geographically distinct case studies, the project strengthens local capacity to address climate risks and provide evidence-based policy recommendations that can inform urban planning and development in diverse contexts. The dual focus on empirical rigor and social inclusivity ensures strategies are effective and equitable, aligning with global agendas like the SDGs and the New Urban Agenda. Ultimately, the research advances a replicable model for integrating tactical urbanism into climate resilience planning, prioritizing disadvantaged areas that are consequently more vulnerable to urban overheating.
6. Research Plan and Methods
| Stage | Objective | Methods | Expected output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Data Collection and Analysis | Establish thermal and urban baselines for both case-study areas. | Deploy low-cost fixed sensors for air temperature, humidity, and wind; run mobile transects for intra-urban variability; acquire FLIR thermography and land-surface temperature products; perform UAV surveys for DSM/DTM, NDVI, and land-cover mapping; integrate all layers in GIS and compute thermo-physiological and risk indices. | Structured microclimate database, high-resolution thermal maps, and spatial heat-risk baseline. |
| 2. Community Engagement | Integrate local knowledge, lived experience, and adaptation priorities. | Conduct surveys, short interviews, and focus groups; organize participatory workshops with residents, local associations, and municipal stakeholders; document heat-stress perception, coping behaviors, and social feasibility constraints for intervention design. | Co-produced adaptation options aligned with community needs and local governance context. |
| 3. Low-Cost Interventions | Design and test tactical urbanism interventions to reduce thermal stress. | Develop and assess temporary shading systems, reflective surface treatments, community-managed greening, and passive ventilation improvements; simulate pre/post scenarios with microclimatic modeling to estimate thermal comfort gains across space and time. | Evidence-based evaluation of intervention performance and replicability potential. |
| 4. Capacity Building and Policy | Translate evidence into actionable planning and long-term adaptation pathways. | Prepare policy briefs and urban planning guidelines; produce communication assets (maps, dashboards, visual summaries); hold technical sessions with municipalities to support integration into adaptation planning and implementation frameworks. | Policy-ready recommendations and institutional uptake in local adaptation strategies. |
7. Tasks
| Task | Duration | Task description | Main outputs | Researchers (initials) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Selection of Case Study Areas | 2 months | Identify and validate heat-vulnerable case-study areas through preliminary mapping and stakeholder consultation with municipal actors. | Shortlist of UHI-vulnerable areas and validated case-study selection. | PI, AN, AL, CR, MF, CC, MMS, JS, VF, JN, SV, SM, PS |
| 2. Data Collection - Establishing Thermal and Urban Baselines | 9 months | Collect microclimatic and spatial data using low-cost stations, mobile measurements, FLIR thermography, UAV surveys, and GIS-based urban morphology analysis. | Structured microclimate database, thermal maps, UAV products, and GIS heat-prone zone analysis. | PI, AL, MF, JS, VF, JN, PS, fellowship |
| 3. Data Analysis - Assessing Thermal Comfort and Spatial Patterns | 5 months | Compute heat-stress indices and model the relationship between thermal conditions, land cover, urban geometry, and built-surface characteristics. | Spatial distribution model of heat stress and thermal comfort patterns. | PI, AN, AL, CR, MF, VF, PS, fellowship |
| 4. Community Engagement and Discussion of Solutions | 2 months | Present findings to communities and local authorities, assess heat perceptions, and co-develop feasible adaptation strategies through participatory sessions. | Community-supported adaptation strategies and qualitative-quantitative perception baseline. | PI, AN, AL, CR, MF, CC, MMS, JS, VF, JN, SV, SM, PS, fellowship |
| 5. Policy Briefs, Recommendations and Urban Planning Guidelines | 9 months | Translate evidence into planning guidance, policy briefs, and implementation-oriented recommendations with municipal dissemination and uptake. | Policy briefs, technical benchmark report, heat-mitigation guidelines, and COOL ACT dashboard/WebGIS. | PI, AN, AL, CR, MF, CC, MMS, JS, VF, JN, SV, SM, PS |
8. Project Timeline and Milestones
M1 - Microclimate database (offline) and urban surface model
Baseline thermal and spatial dataset created from stations, mobile measurements, thermography, UAV products, and GIS analysis.
M2 - Co-produced public spaces strategies
Community workshops completed and tactical urbanism options co-designed for heat-stress mitigation.
M3 - Heat stress and thermal comfort spatial model
Integrated model finalized to evaluate thermal-risk patterns and intervention performance.
M4 - Final workshop and adaptation proposals
Final dissemination workshop delivered with policy-oriented proposals for heat stress-prone areas.
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