Experience and cooling oasis park Stuttgart
Bringing climate change adaptation to life in Stuttgart.
Author: Jürgen Baumüller, Germany
Bringing climate change adaptation to life in Stuttgart.
Since the mid-1980s, annual days above 25°C (summer days) have more than doubled from 40 days to over 90 days in Stuttgart. Days above 30°C (hot days) have risen from 10 days to 30 days and nights with a minimum temperature above 20°C, which hardly ever used to occur, are now at 10 nights. With an annual temperature of 13.5°C in Stuttgart, 2023 was the warmest year on record.
However, this is just the beginning of climate change. Annual maximum temperatures, which are currently 38°C in Stuttgart city centre, will easily exceed 40°C by the middle of the century.
In addition to the need to reduce greenhouse gases to protect the climate, it has become clear that adaptation measures to the changing climate are also necessary. For this reason, a Climate Adaptation Act was also passed in Germany in 2024.
It is little known that the temperature perceived by humans and the effective temperature can be influenced by up to 20 degrees on a small scale, especially with greenery.
The planning and development of the new Stuttgart-Rosenstein urban quarter (85 hectares) will not improve the urban climate situation in Stuttgart's city centre.
Stuttgart city centre will not improve, but rather worsen significantly. The centre of the heat island in Stuttgart is located right in the area of the railway station.
The idea is to create an adventure and cooling oasis park in the A3 area as an entrée to the new district, in the style of a Tivoli like in Copenhagen, which also demonstrates the possibilities of climate adaptation in the open space on site. To this end, installations are to be erected in the park area alongside the adventure facilities that will make thermal improvements tangible. A link between the park and the palace gardens should be realised. If, for urban planning reasons, a building also has to be constructed in area A3, a multifunctional building could be erected there with a museum on climate adaptation and rooms for public use. This building should be recognisable from the outside as a building dedicated entirely to climate adaptation.
Stuttgart would be well-suited to the topic of climate adaptation.
Cooling oasis park Stuttgart - concept with measures
- Installation: Rain garden
- Installation: Spray showers
- Installation: Water area with mini fountains
- Installation: Water playground
- Installation: Kneipp water treading pool and Kneipp bath
- Installation: Shade sails
- Installation: Shade trees
- Installation: Drinking water system
- Installation: white-grey-black fields
- Installation: Green wall
- Installation: Tiny Forest
- Installation: Rainwater retention area
- Installation: Large temperature display air temperature - perceived temperature in the shade and in the sun
- Installation: Thermal image of the station tower
- Installation: Café area
- Installation: Vending machine with cool drinks
- Installation: Large fan
Jury statement
The contribution “Experience and Cooling Oasis Park Stuttgart” refers to the rising temperatures that affect the city of Stuttgart as part of climate change. This is the central problem of the world's future - especially for the city of Stuttgart in its basin location.
The idea is clearly outlined, solution-focused and easy to implement. In a time of upheaval and uncertainty and many complex problems, this is a decisive argument in favor of this project.
Climate adaptation and education are brought together in the proposal. Another plus point is the sensory experience of the installations that will contribute to cooling. The rain garden, the spray showers and the Tiny Forest are particularly noteworthy. The concept is open in that it proposes installations without laying them out too specifically. It allows for partial development, which also permits safe use in the planned multifunctional house during the winter months.
The location contributes to the development of knowledge, demonstrates innovative capacity and makes the topic a microclimatic experience. Hardly any other station welcomes travelers with a laboratory for climate adaptation and can thus play a pioneering role in the field of urban climate throughout Europe.