Storytelling -Case 3

In the city of Newville, there are several neighbourhoods that are considered deprived, with limited resources and high levels of poverty. The city consists of a few quarters with detached houses, but most people live in apartment buildings. During the summer months, the city often experiences intense heat waves, which can be particularly challenging for residents in these neighbourhoods who may lack access to air conditioning or other means of staying cool. As a result, the city has decided to develop and implement a plan to address this issue and improve the quality of life for its residents.

First some figures about Newville: it has about 250.000 inhabitants, of which many are over 50 years of age. These people came to town when they were young and faced no problems with walking stairs etc. Nowadays the population has aged whereas the living conditions have not changed. Some neighbourhoods have green spaces and small parks, but more than half of the city consists of busy streets with much concrete and apartment buildings.

People in these neighbourhoods are socially involved with each other since they have known each other for many years. Also, there are lively welfare activities enabled by volunteers.

Furthermore, there is a small river that meanders through Newville. Alongside this river, several small trees are planted. A riverside is an attractive place in times of local activities. Not only for youngsters but for the elderly also.

While considering the development of a comprehensive heat plan, the municipality realizes that they lack information about real temperatures and the number of people that were actually affected by heat. There is no such thing as a heat-vulnerable heat index. Another question is whether or not a ‘one size fits all’ approach would work, or that a targeted approach would be preferable. Also, the heat-communication plan of the city is considered to be rather poor since that has had no priority in recent years. But this year the city council feels the urge to take a more active and comprehensive approach to addressing the issue of heatwaves since the amount of heatwaves is rising every year.

Besides focusing on acute interventions, the city of Newville is exploring long-term solutions to the problem of heat waves. They have asked us to support them with the development of an effective and efficient heat plan.