Press releases

• Nationwide Heat Action Day: The initiators call for heat protection to be seen as a task for society as a whole.
• The city has been systematically working on an "Aachen Heat Action Plan" for four years, continuously implementing measures and constantly developing the plan.
• Citizens can help, for example by taking precautions against heat and unsealing surfaces.

Climate change and its sometimes massive effects are also becoming increasingly visible and noticeable in Germany. Hot days with temperatures of over 30 degrees during the day or tropical nights with temperatures of over 20 degrees at night and the associated health risks are the greatest singular risk to which people are already exposed today and will be even more so in the future: Thousands die every year as a result - including in Germany. This is shown by studies such as the one conducted by the Federal Environment Agency in 2025 or the data continuously collected by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Often not enough knowledge about the dangers of heat

During the increasingly frequent and prolonged periods of heat, the healthcare system and thus society as a whole is put under additional strain due to increased health problems, rising hospital admissions and increased rescue operations. People are restricted in their productivity and well-being. Despite these massive health risks, Germany, especially the German health and social system, is not yet sufficiently prepared for periods of heat. There is also often insufficient awareness and knowledge of the dangers of heat and how best to protect particularly vulnerable people.

To raise awareness of heat-related health risks and improve public knowledge on the subject, the nationwide Heat Action Day was launched; this year, it will take place tomorrow, Thursday, June 11 (https://hitzeaktionstag.de). One of the organizers’ demands: to recognize heat protection as a responsibility for society as a whole.

Heat protection as a municipal public service and duty of care

The city of Aachen recognized this responsibility early on as part of its municipal services of general interest and duty of care - for example for children and young people in daycare centres and schools and for employees. Important heat prevention measures such as the preservation of cold air corridors, the unsealing and greening of surfaces, roof and façade greening, tree planting, the opening up of streams, drinking water fountains and municipal heat action planning were already anchored in the city-wide "Aachen Climate Impact Adaptation Concept" of 2018 (KAK). In 2022, the Climate and Environment Department therefore began systematically drawing up an "Aachen Heat Action Plan" (AHAP) and gradually coordinating specific heat protection and prevention measures with the relevant departments.

In recent years, employees in the Youth and School, Daycare and Child Daycare, Safety and Order and City Services departments have been actively informed about heat and UV prevention in the spring and immediately before heatwave days: How do I protect and care for children and young people, how do I protect myself? Suitable work and UV protective clothing was procured for employees who mainly work outdoors, such as the teams from the public order office, waste collection, city cleaning and green maintenance, and heat and UV protection was integrated into occupational health and safety.

Since early 2025, Jens Hasse, the city’s Climate Preparedness Manager, and Dr. Daniel Kelterbaum, Head of the Air Quality and Climate Protection Division, have been jointly coordinating the further elaboration and development of the AHAP. All relevant departments and municipal agencies are involved in this citywide process. Together with the Department of Communication and City Marketing, which also manages the heat preparedness pages at www.aachen.de/hitze, the two AHAP coordinators have established an early heat warning system that incorporates heat warnings from the German Weather Service (DWD). The target groups are the general public, as well as city employees.

Another important measure as part of the AHAP is the cross-departmental project "Heat protection on outdoor areas of schools and kindergartens", which the responsible departments and in-house operations have been working on together since the beginning of 2025 - coordinated by the Climate and Environment, City Operations and Buildings department. In preparation, a catalog of measures with standard heat protection measures such as greening, unsealing, shading, a guideline for recording and analyzing the individual locations was developed. Important findings were gathered during pilot inspections at several schools and daycare centers. A total of 25 sites have already been recorded and funding applications have been submitted to the "Zukunftsregion Rheinisches Revier" for four properties.

The "Map of cool places"

As early as the summer of 2025, the Climate and Environment Department, in cooperation with the Geodata Department, published a “Map of Cool Places” on www.aachen.de/hitze. Here, people in Aachen can find cool places—in parks, under large trees, in museums, or even in churches—and also have the opportunity to suggest their own “Cool Places.” Through this collaboration and participation, a map is being created together with the local community that also helps spread knowledge about heat and how to behave in these extreme situations.

The so-called "soil cooling capacity" and the unsealing and greening of surfaces also play an important role in heat protection, especially in densely populated urban areas: Open ground and green areas store less heat than asphalt or concrete and provide natural cooling through the evaporation of water from soil and plants. This improves the microclimate and counteracts the heating of densely populated areas.

"pave over"

The nationwide “abpflastern” competition organized by the Koblenz University of Social Design addresses precisely this issue: It calls for the removal of paved surfaces and their subsequent greening—green instead of gray. The model for this is the Dutch initiative “Tegelwippen,” which has been advocating for more unsealed and planted areas in cities for years. The goal of the competition is to work together to contribute to climate adaptation and more livable cities. Individuals, neighborhoods, schools, municipalities, companies, and associations are eligible to participate. Unsealed areas can be registered online and will be assigned to the respective municipality. The winners of each league will be announced at the end of the season on October 31, 2026. For more information about the competition, visit www.abpflastern.de.

Practical example of unsealing

The City of Aachen, in cooperation with StädteRegion Aachen, expressly welcomes the involvement in this competition. The administration sees initiatives such as "abpflastern" as an important contribution to preventive soil protection and climate-friendly urban development. The City of Aachen has therefore been pursuing measures to reduce land sealing and unseal existing areas for years. These include urban development projects, the brownfield unsealing register and targeted measures at municipal facilities. Probably the most prominent example in Aachen's city center is Büchel, where the added value of converting a parking garage into a green space has already been demonstrated in recent years. Other measures, such as the register of unsealed brownfield sites, tend to go unnoticed and are of a structural nature. Aachen's municipal utility is taking a more practical approach: In cooperation with pupils from Aachen's 4th comprehensive school, trainees from Stadtbetrieb unsealed and planted parts of the schoolyard in the fall of 2025. But private properties also play an important role, as their greening can sustainably improve the urban climate.

The city therefore supports all activities aimed at reducing impervious surfaces and promoting sustainable greening. To assist interested residents, the city administration provides practical guidance and expert recommendations for small-scale private projects to reduce impervious surfaces at: www.aachen.de/entsiegeln.

In addition to the city's climate analysis, comprehensive communication on climate prevention, the city's flood prevention activities, municipal heavy rainfall management and the green and design statutes, Aachen's heat action plan is an essential part of the city's new climate prevention concept.

As every year in early summer, the current status of the urban heat action planning process (AHAP) was presented at the last meeting of the Climate and Environment Committee on Tuesday, June 9.