Hotterdam: Urban heat in Rotterdam and health effects

Those affected most will be the elderly – a group that is growing in size. In the light of the Paris heat wave of August 2003 and the one in Rotterdam in July 2006, mortality rates among the elderly in particular are likely to rise in the summer.

The aim of the Hotterdam research project was to gain a better understanding of urban heat. Heat was measured and the surface energy balance modelled from that perspective. Social and physical features of the city were identified in detail with the help of satellite images, GIS and 3D models.