German cities have long been actively committed to mitigating climate change. As well as implementing energy-saving measures and using renewable energies, cities have also focused on the energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings, and environmentally friendly modes of transport. Climate change mitigation criteria are increasingly being made a part of urban land-use planning. This is an important contribution toward reducing car-bon emissions in cities.

However, climate change is also posing major challenges for the cities. The risks to their inhabitants, municipal infrastructure and green spaces will continue to rise as a result of midsummer extreme temperatures, heavy rainfall, periods of drought and storms. This will require additional adaptation measures in the operation and further development of infrastructure. As well as general urban development planning, the surfaces and corridors for the production and exchange of cold and fresh air within urban areas are also of major importance for the urban climate. Therefore, scenarios and forecasts should be drawn up, on the basis of which district-specific measures to improve the urban climate can then be planned and implemented. These efforts, which where possible should be undertaken by the municipal administration on an inter-departmental basis and with the necessary human resources, must aim to minimise the impacts of climate change in and for the city. In all investment measures, the anticipated climate changes should be taken into account.

The following list of measures for adaptation to climate change in the fields of planning, construction, green spaces, mobility/traffic and transport, water, soil and species protection, and health, identify key areas of activity for the future orientation of the adaptation process in the cities. It also includes further recommendations for climate change mitigation measures. Priority should be attached to measures that combine climate change mitigation with adaptation. The paper also considers the outlook concerning the needed holistic approach to planning the adaptation process, and the creation of a coordinator’s position for coordination of the various measures. The results achieved will need to be evaluated in the medium and long term.