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Cities on the front line of extreme heat

A practical, city-focused project connecting climate adaptation, health protection and social equity.

The Challenge

Extreme heat is becoming more frequent, more intense, and more dangerous — especially in cities, where buildings and paved surfaces trap heat long after sunset. Older people, low-income households, people with existing health conditions and outdoor workers are hit hardest. CLIMACARE addresses this challenge by connecting climate adaptation, public health and social equity in one practical approach.

Our Approach

CLIMACARE is an Innovation Action delivering large-scale demonstration, deployment and replication of heatresilience solutions, with local authorities and vulnerable residents at the centre. In five demonstration cities, systemic measures are co-created and implemented together with local communities — including redesigning public spaces with nature-based solutions and improving passive cooling in buildings — while safeguarding against unintended, maladaptive effects.

Through an inclusive, multi-level governance framework, municipalities localise national heat-health action plans, develop emergency procedures, and deploy a digital heat preparedness suite that coordinates civil protection, health, transport, utilities and civil society organisations.

A Horizon Europe Project

CLIMACARE, Climate-Resilient Adaptive Environments for Urban Health and Social Equity, is funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe, Grant Agreement No. 101296208. The project runs from 2026 to 2030 and works with cities and partners across Europe, Türkiye and New Zealand to address the health impacts of extreme heat.

The consortium is coordinated by IRCEM, Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment “Ernest Lupan”, and brings together 28 partners: Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Universidad de Sevilla, DAEM, Municipality of Athens Information Technology Company, Prolepsis Institute, Municipality of Pécs, Pécs Urban Development Nonprofit Plc., Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit, Baliera Global SL, Demir Enerji, DeCarbonCities Ltd, Sultanbeyli Municipality, European Public Health Alliance, Ayuntamiento de Sevilla, Gebze Technical University, National Technical University of Athens, University of Leeds, Steinbeis Innovation gGmbH, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Hutt City Council, Municipality of Alba Iulia, Southampton City Council, Comune di Oppeano, ClarkeModet, BABLE Smart Cities Iberia, Nevelok Haza Egyesulet, Mülteciler ve Sığınmacılar Yardımlaşma ve Dayanışma Derneği and Università degli Studi dell’Insubria.

From Piloting to Practice

CLIMACARE’s controlled trial design generates robust evidence on the health, behavioural and equity impacts of its interventions — scientific validation that is often missing from local adaptation measures. Multi-actor Heat Resilience Task Forces co-create and co-govern the demonstrations, ready-to-go actions and financing instruments, embedding results directly into municipal practice. CLIMACARE also pioneers innovative financing mechanisms to integrate tested interventions into long-term municipal budgets.

Why It Matters

Three replication cities — Oppeano, Southampton and Lower Hutt-Wellington — will adopt proven solutions from the demonstration cities, testing their transferability across different governance and socio-economic contexts. By combining demonstration, evaluation and replication, CLIMACARE advances heat-resilience solutions from piloting to real deployment, contributing to the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change and helping build climate-resilient, socially just, health-protective cities.