Cities around the world are particularly affected by climate change. They are particularly affected - as an urban ecosystem and as a space for action and decision-making - due to two factors. On the one hand, cities are seen as the key to climate protection and sustainability, as the majority of people worldwide (55% in 2018 (United Nations 2018)) live in cities and are responsible for 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions (World Bank 2023), with an upward trend in the number of people living in cities. At the same time, cities are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change: due to their high population numbers and densities, the agglomeration of buildings, infrastructure and material assets, changing conditions with regard to security of supply, depending on their natural location, e.g. on coasts or rivers, and especially with regard to rising temperatures.

The clearly visible consequences of climate change and global warming in recent years call for forward-looking and targeted action from all stakeholders: administration and politics, business and citizens, and the support of research. One part of the diverse range of tasks relates to planning precautions, with which city administrations must develop both existing buildings and new buildings and neighbourhoods to meet the requirements of climate protection and climate adaptation. This is a complex task that touches on a wide range of technical and administrative issues. The habilitation is primarily dedicated to the question of how German administrations in particular solve this task and which challenges are currently hindering the practical implementation of climate adaptation. As well as methodological issues, e.g. how measures can be sensibly planned in relation to urban overheating (UHI) and heat waves and how the initial (thermal) situation can be assessed in a targeted manner and prepared for planning.

Related publications:

Gallacher, C., Boehnke, D., 2025. Pedestrian thermal comfort mapping for evidence-based urban planning; an interdisciplinary and user-friendly mobile approach for the case study of Dresden, Germany (eng). Int J Biometeorol, 1-18.

Gallacher, C., Benz, S., Boehnke, D., Jehling, M., 2024. A collaborative approach for the identification of thermal hot-spots: from remote sensing data to urban planning interventions. AGILE GIScience Ser. 5, 1-10.

Boehnke, D., Jehling, M., Vogt, J., 2023. What hinders climate adaptation? Approaching barriers in municipal land use planning through participant observation. Land Use Policy 132, 106786.

Boehnke, D., Krehl, A., Mörmann, K., Volk, R., Lützkendorf, T., Naber, E., Becker, R., Norra, S., 2022. Mapping Urban Green and Its Ecosystem Services at Microscale-A Methodological Approach for Climate Adaptation and Biodiversity. Sustainability 14 (15), 1-28.

Böhnke, D., Jerutka, K., 2020. Stadtplätze: Zur Bewertung der Aufenthaltsqualität von urbanen Räumen. Stadt und Raum (6), 330-335.

Böhnke, D., Norra, S., 2021. Stadtquartiere im Wandel, Kommunales Niederschlagsmanagement in Bestand und Neubau - Erkenntnisse praxisnaher Forschung. Transforming cities (3), 34-39.

Böhnke, D., Volk, R., Lützkendorf, T., Naber, E., Krehl, A., Becker, R., Norra, S. (Eds.), 2021. Grünbestände in privaten Innenhöfen und deren Ökosystemleistungen im Stadtquartier (de). Rhombos-Verlag, Berlin.