1. Challenge

How can the city optimize its services in case of extreme weather and climate events?  

How can we reduce the impact of extreme weather on Bratislava?

Bratislava needs to build resilience to the impact of extreme weather and climate events. A well-anticipated crisis and effective as well as timely measures can often mean that many lives and properties are saved. 

Challenge Description and Context 

Over the past three decades, Europe has seen a 60 percent increase in extreme weather events.  Because of population density and the concentrated economic assets, cities are immensely vulnerable to the impact of extreme weather and climate events such as storms, heavy rains, windstorms, heat waves, flash floods, or snowfalls.  

There are many solutions to counter the devastating effects of extreme weather and climate events on human communities. One of them is an early warning system (through optimizing city´s services and actions), backed by long-term climate forecasting that allows the city to respond to these events in a timely and appropriate manner. In doing so, it is important to make the information available in a form that can be easily understood and used by the executive (e. g. dispatching, road management and maintenance). 

Challenge Vision 

Faced with this situation, it is necessary to reconsider, how the city and its inhabitants are prepared and react to extreme weather and climate events. New innovative solutions are needed to strengthen city´s resilience to such events and to protect vulnerable communities.  

Ideas could be based around, but not limited to: 

• Predicting future extreme events – extreme weather forecast applications – (such as heatwaves, extreme snow, and rain fall) and set triggering action if variables apply – creating a framework for monitoring and action system

• • • street cleaning management – reschedule when rain is coming or high winds;
    • prepare sidewalks for winter maintenance when snow/freezing rain is expected;
    • use snow probability function (EFI) to improve preparedness of winter road maintenance (identifying risk of unusual extreme events);
    • Encourage people drink more water to avoid dehydration when heat index is high, field volunteers to distribute water to public in hotspot streets;
    • Including recommendations for reducing physical activities (such as outdoor sports) during affected hours of the day;
    • Informing elderly people by sending informational pamphlet map week ahead of heat wave;
      Informing disadvantaged people by SMS to stay more in shadow, deploy mobile shadow tents;
    • Notifying people with allergies on triggers (sudden temperature change, high winds, high humidity);
    • Notifying homes for elderly or other social facilities, such as kindergartens and primary schools run by the city and its local municipalities of upcoming severe weather changes and suggesting measures to be taken to avoid negative impact on human health and service disruptions;
    • Estimate transportation demand and delays in bad weather conditions (rain, freezing temp, fog);
    • Any other notifications/recommendations applicable to other municipal organisations such as the City ZOO (safety and comfort for employees as well as the animals) or Urban Forests of Bratislava (risk avoidance – droughts, forest fires, safety and wellbeing of visitors, employees, etc.)

• Utilizing data to better use current city resources and city services – provide effective hyper local services  
• Utilising hyperlocal observation data to adapt the maintenance of public spaces, especially those affected by extreme weather (heat waves or heavy rains, e.g. Dúbravka) 
• Mapping and monitoring hot spots (or sensitive areas) to support effective action in case of hot and windy weather, when dust particles swirl, causing respiratory problems (road maintenance and watering) 
• Closing data gaps between the city and its inhabitants 
• Improving adaptive capacity of the urban areas 
• Citizen’s involvement in crisis management 
• Data visualization via easy-to-understand dashboards  

Challenge owner: Technical services and The Bratislava Municipal Enterprise.

Other potential beneficiaries: Operators of social care facilities and services, kindergartens, primary schools, leisure time activities centres for children and youth, other municipal organisations such the City ZOO or Urban Forests of Bratislava.  

Data

• Weather data –  https://opendata.iblsoft.com  (more info on Slack, EDR interface) – Climatological forecast model grids (monthly data up to 2050-2100), weather forecast model (3-day ahead about 2x2km resolution, 10-day lower resolution), current weather observations, historical weather data grids for past 70 years 

• https://opendata.bratislava.sk 

2. Challenge

How can the city be better prepared for the expected long-term impacts of climate change? 

Climate change will significantly influence our behavior in the coming decades. Better understanding of climate change scenarios and related citizens´ behavior will help the city to strategically plan its future development. Thus, it can respond to the changing needs of its citizens. 

Challenge Description and Context 

Climate change is a long-term phenomenon. To mitigate the future impacts of climate change, we should strategically plan the development of the city in terms of sustainability and climate resilience. 

In 2050, in Bratislava we expect a significant increase in the number of summer days (about 25 per year), tropical days (about 15), but a decrease in the number of frost days (about 25) and ice days (about 15). Stronger and more intense storms are expected to become more frequent due to warmer temperatures and humidity. 

If the city of Bratislava wants to fight to limit climate change and its impact on people and ecosystems, it must understand different scenarios and related behavior of its citizens and made them integral part of strategical planning of the city development. An understandable visualization of data that forecasts climate change and the behavioral changes of its citizens may enable efficient decision-making and strategic planning.  

Engaging a variety of stakeholders beyond city staff and leaders (including NGO, Business representatives, educational institutions, and community members) in the climate resilience planning process helps to ensure more coordinated and appropriate actions are chosen and implemented. 

Challenge Vision 

We seek for solutions that enable city planners and other professionals to better understand and assess anticipated impacts of global climate change and act at the local level. The solutions should build upon previous work (Atlas hodnotenia zraniteľnosti.pdf) 

Ideas could be based around, but not limited to: 

• Extrapolate the behaviour of the city in the future based on climate prediction models in decades to come – Shared Socioeconomic Pathways Scenarios 

• • • explore future rainfall patterns: when frequent severe rain is expected, city may for example needs to extend capacity of sewerage to handle X more than today; 
    • analyze growth in need of more water over time (based on precipitation, temperatures, ratio of rainy and dry days) for growing number of city’s green islands/roofs; 
    • encourage certain amount/percentage of houses to implement green roofs, based on temperature rise expected to sustain city temperature; 

• Utilizing data to better preparedness of the city for anticipated impacts of climate change 
• Support an inclusive and participatory planning process that integrates city planning activities with local community and other relevant stakeholders’ participation  
• Support for more structured and transparent strategic planning. 
• Information and capacity building for urban planners and professionals from related fields

Challenge owner: Strategic city department, Metropolitan institute of Bratislava.

Data

• Climate data (more info on Slack)– forecast for scenarios SSP1-SSP5 for temperature (incl. max/min), precipitation, snowfall, humidityi, wind speed, total runoff – daily and monthly averages are available, historical weather data grids for past 70 years for hypothesis verification purposes  

3. Challenge

Open Challenge: How can we as citizens help the city combat climate change? 

Climate change affects our everyday lives in many different forms. However, our daily decisions, choices and consumption patterns are often strong drivers of climate change. Changing our behavioral patterns can unlock a crucial climate impact potential. 

Challenge Description and Context 

The message of the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is unequivocal: If we want to keep global temperature rise to 1.5 C by the end of the century, we need to reduce emissions to net-zero by 2050 – otherwise we risk dire climate consequences.  

Sometimes, “the power of habit” often locks us into inappropriate and unhealthy patterns of behaviour. And this is what makes addressing climate change especially difficult.  

How can we break this circle of unsustainable lifestyle? How can we inspire, motivate and support the citizens to making low-carbon and environmentally conscious choices?  

How can the city motivate its residents? (e.g. parking policy, traffic restrictions) 

Challenge Vision 

In order to make a meaningful and measurable impact, as many people as possible need to make the right choices as often as possible. From this perspective, the main objective of this challenge is to motivate and support the citizens in more sustainable ways of life, in terms of:  

• Energy saving behavior 
• Consumption of local products and products with low carbon emissions  
• Reducing food waste 
• Sustainable travel/commute alternatives, micromobility 
• Engage in circular economy activities and improve waste management 
• Water consumption  

Challenge owner: City of Bratislava.

Data

Use data and “the power of numbers” to motivate the citizens to change their behavior towards climate friendlier. More info on Slack.