Cròniques de la Calor
OPUSH pilot project, project JPI Urban Europe. April 2022 – March 2025.
Cròniques de la calor documents the heat in public space and on a micro-scale, with the help of the most affected neighborhoods and taking into account their knowledge on the ground as users of public space. New geo-located and fully open data are obtained that also reflect the thermal comfort of the participants.
Photo: Marc Castellet
Episodes of extreme heat are becoming more frequent and more intense in cities, where the heat island effect accentuates them. As citizens, we must become more aware of the existence of these periods, be able to identify the spaces most vulnerable to heat in our closest urban environment and create inclusive strategies to mitigate the effects of extreme heat. In addition, the heat does not affect us all equally nor do we experience it in the same way everywhere. For this reason, Cròniques de la Calor involves diverse groups, in terms of age, profiles and places of residence. Their common denominator is that all groups can suffer the most extreme heat.
Cròniques de la Calor is located in the framework of citizen social science, which we have been developing. The neighborhood and its social concerns are at the center of the research and all stages of the research are nourished by their knowledge. In this case, during face-to-face workshops, the participants will identify the most relevant places in the public space, according to their criteria and in relation to their uses and the heat. Several “heat walks” are organized where the temperature in these places is measured, as well as the thermal sensation and thermal comfort perceived by the neighborhood. Finally, the results are interpreted collectively in order to diagnose the problem more precisely and propose solutions based on scientific evidence.
During the summer of 2023, some pilots were carried out that made it possible to optimize the scientific protocol and confirm the social relevance of the project. During the summer of 2024, more than 300 people were involved, with the aim of obtaining very precise and actionable information about how the people who suffer the most experience the heat.
Collaborating entities
Cròniques de la Calor is carried out in collaboration with 15 entities such as libraries, universities, educational centers, neighborhood groups or NGOs. The 5 territories where the actions are implemented are:
Neighborhood of Collblanc-La Torrassa, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. With the collaboration of the Josep Janés Library, the Pep Ventura School, the Escola Bressol Nova Fortuny, the “Som Barri” neighborhood group, promoted by the Intercultural Community Process and the Itaca Educational Association.
Sant Vicenç dels Horts. With the collaboration of Escola La Guàrdia, as part of the network of Magnet centers of the Generalitat de Catalunya / Fundació Bofill.
Montcada and Reixac. With the collaboration of the La Ribera Institute, as part of the network of Magnet centers of the Generalitat de Catalunya / Fundació Bofill.
Barri del Congrés – Els Indians, Barcelona. With the collaboration of the Canòdrom Technical Office, Barcelona City Council; the Community Board of the neighborhood of Congress-Indians; the Shared Schooling Unit (UEC) Congrés Fundació Main; Servicios residentiales de acción educativa (CRAE) Minerva, the Casal neighborhood Congrés-Indians and the Union of Congrés- Els Indians shopkeepers.
Barrio de Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera, Barcelona. With the collaboration of the Comtal Foundation and the Table of the Third Social Sector.
Resources
Infographic of the project: https://web.ub.edu/es/web/ciencia-ciutadana/calor
Credits
The initiative is part of the European project OPUSH (https://opush.net) and is carried out in collaboration with the European project SENSE.STEAM (https://sense-steam.eu). Project PCI2022-132996 funded by MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR.
