On these November days, the last thought that might cross one's mind is heat islands. Yet within a few months, neighborhoods in our municipalities will be warming up again, and this topic, at the intersection of urban planning, construction, climate change, social life and health, will resume knocking on the doors of current events with greater insistence.
For those studying and seeking mitigation measures, the cold season does not correspond to a decrease in activity, far from it. As Annalisa Rollandi, a researcher at SUPSI's Earth Sciences Institute, explains, "Summer is dedicated to collecting data on the ground. Once the canicular period is over, we enter the analysis and interpretation phase to understand if and how the heat islands are evolving, also taking into account the scenarios on rising temperatures outlined by the federal government. We try to understand their expansion with respect to the measures that are being implemented, or not. Over the years, these data have allowed us to map heat islands and make a prediction of their possible expansion without mitigation measures. We want to understand whether the predictions made will be realized or whether the situation will change more rapidly than budgeted".
The monitoring is accompanied by the study of measures that can have an impact on the phenomenon: "It is a work of reflection and planning,” Annalisa Rollandi continues. In the 2020-2024 cantonal mandate, we bent over the impact of living in areas exposed to the phenomenon and the contribution of existing urban typologies. The data we have collected and possible scenarios are available online at the Canton's OASI portal. We have a good understanding of the phenomenon: we know where heat islands are, where they are most likely to be found, and we can predict where they will be. In the years to come, we need to identify the mitigation measures best suited to our area and propose the tools to implement them, making a synthesis between research and innovation. To do this, it is essential to engage in a dialogue with local governments to find innovative tools to implement them that meet the adaptation needs and individual needs of municipalities. In fact, it is a work of co-design and communication that must involve experts in the field, local governments and the population. For those doing research like us, dissemination and communication are key aspects".
Extent of heat islands during extreme weather events (Source: Costruire in funzione del cambiamento climatico)
The first meeting between the world of research and municipalities will be held on Thursday, Nov. 28, at the Department of Environment Constructions and Design of SUPSI, at the Mendrisio Campus, with the event “Building as a function of climate change”, promoted by the Institute of Earth Sciences (IST), the Institute of Applied Sustainability to the Built Environment (ISAAC), the Dipartimento del territorio and the Sezione enti locali of the Dipartimento istituzioni of Canton Ticino.
“It will be an opportunity to officially inaugurate this dialogue with the territory. For the first time we will present the work of these years in a structured way, and we will also be able to count on the contribution of external experts and the sharing of experiences. We will relate the mapping of heat islands to the contribution of the built system and urban spaces, and then lean into how to intervene in planning as well. So we will talk about both operational actions and planning interventions. It will be a unique opportunity for discussion and dialogue between SUPSI and the territory.”
This initiative is not the only one promoted within SUPSI that touches on the topic of heat islands. In parallel, the Department of Environment Construction and Design has launched a continuing education proposal that has attracted great interest: the SAS the green-blue city. The Department of Education and Learning / University of Teacher Education (DFA/ASP) has also recently begun to address this issue, in the broader context of education for sustainable development. A dissertation was the impetus for presenting activity ideas to teachers and lecturers, which were later proposed to the pupils and students of the Stabio municipal schools last October. The Mendrisiotto municipality recently launched its “Heat Island Mitigation and Adaptation Operational Plan.”
“Bringing these activities to classrooms was made possible thanks to a teacher who attended one of our presentations last spring and asked us to animate a workshop in her office,” says Alessio Carmine, senior lecturer at the DFA/ASP's Laboratory media and MINT (MEM).
“We propose activities that students find in their daily lives and can analyze with tools that are not too complex, but capable of collecting accurate data. In the past we have done activities on fine particulate matter and water quality. Heat islands are a phenomenon that has come to the public's attention only recently, but is clearly perceived even by younger people, especially in recent summers.”
Students' lived experiences are the gateway through which a complex phenomenon can be introduced into an educational pathway. “With two kindergarten sections we worked on tactile perception: barefoot they experienced the temperature differences of different materials. To reinforce the concepts we showed them these differences in images from a thermal imaging camera. The experiences were placed in a larger framework, with the telling of the story of a group of animals who decide to build a city that, as it grows, gets hotter and hotter with each arrival of summer.”
If narrative and a qualitative approach are used with younger children, a quantitative dimension can also be introduced with elementary school students.
“We first took up the concept of heat islands, some of which the classes were already familiar with, and analyzed a top-down image of their school site hypothesizing the areas where this phenomenon might occur. In a second step, the students divided into pairs measured the various zones in their school with an infrared thermometer. All the data collected were compared to identify possible heat islands. These are activities in which the pupils participate enthusiastically for several reasons: they can use tools that they do not use on a daily basis; a very concrete topic is addressed that they also have personal experience of; and last but not least, the data collected is shared with the municipality: therefore, there is also a dimension of active participation.”
Not only that, this type of activity allows different disciplines to interact with each other: in this specific case, geography, through an analysis of space, and mathematics, with the measurement of temperatures and evaluation of the data collected.
This type of activity, as mentioned, falls under the umbrella of education for sustainable development, an area in which DFA/ASP has been collaborating for more than a decade with the éducation21 foundation, which annually promotes ESS Day. On the sidelines of the event, which this year took place on Oct. 19, activities were offered in the area for teachers, including a “Heat Island Hunt” animated by Felix Günther and Annalisa Rollandi of the Institute of Earth Sciences. For an afternoon, a small group of teachers were able to delve into the topic and then search the streets of Lugano for possible heat islands with the help of a small sensor connected to a smartphone that can measure temperature and humidity with a fair degree of accuracy; a possible activity to propose in classrooms.
“The involvement of the population includes the youngest and we believe it is essential that children can become aware of such a current phenomenon with concrete examples,” says Annalisa Rollandi. For us it was a very interesting moment. Teachers who participated asked us very precise questions on both methodological and content aspects. We could say that it was the prelude to theNovember 28 event and what we would like to do in the next four years: that is, to maintain effective and scientific communication that reaches everyone, because for us it is essential to involve the population.”
In teacher training, too, it is intended to continue the path taken a few months ago. “During the October activity, Stabio students discovered that the basketball court at their institution was warmer than in other areas and began to imagine possible mitigation interventions. The teachers then developed an educational course in which they discussed with the classes about possible measures, their advantages and disadvantages. For our part, we would like to produce a mini-dossier on the topic and present a teaching sequence to take to the classrooms. There is a potential to develop the topic from an educational point of view, also collaborating with the Canton and proposing activities in municipal schools - concludes Alessio Carmine”.