Cool Cities Interreg NSR Report 3

This report documents the progress and interim outcomes of Work Package 1.1 within the Cool Cities project under the Interreg North Sea Region programme. WP1.1 focuses on developing Local Context Summary Memos for each partner city, providing a shared evidence base on urban heat risks, vulnerabilities, and governance contexts to support subsequent planning activities.

The report describes how spatial analysis, policy review, and co creation are combined to assess heat stress, exposure, and vulnerability across partner cities. Spatial analyses include high resolution heat indicators such as PET, green and blue infrastructure, slow traffic routes, places to stay, vital urban functions, and social vulnerability indicators. These datasets are synthesized into thematic maps and a combined heat risk index where data availability allows.

In parallel, the report presents a structured inventory and comparative analysis of local, regional, national, and European policies related to heat adaptation. This governance analysis examines adaptation goals, stakeholder involvement, institutional responsibilities, policy instruments, and implementation barriers. City specific policy overviews highlight where information is complete, partially complete, or missing, guiding follow up with partner cities.

Co creation plays a central role in WP1.1. The report documents bilateral data sessions, workshops, and Delphi based exchanges used to validate data, refine methods, and align analytical outputs with local practice. These interactions ensure that the Local Context Summary Memos reflect both technical evidence and practitioner knowledge.

Overall, the report shows that WP1.1 is building a coherent, comparable foundation across partner cities. The outputs form the analytical and institutional basis for the development of Cool Network Plans and Local Action Plans in subsequent work packages, supporting more targeted, equitable, and implementable urban heat adaptation strategies.