These were the final months before the official opening in October, and we finally get to see the new sign renaming the location to UT Field Lab.
In August little vegetation is growing as a result of the construction.
Towards the end of August, this is much the same.
In September, two new signs are placed at the two entrances, one near the BMC building.
In the North of the town Wierden is a nature playground. Although it has been added into the neighborhood's edges as a developmental afterthought, it still performs well as a multifunctional space.
The reason the space was still available for use lies in the power poles. We have seen the same in Enschede on a larger scale previously. In the Netherlands special guidelines prohibit building near power poles due to obviously the height of structures interfering with the lines themselves, and because it is potentially causing a slightly higher chance of cancer when you live too close. It is still suitable for the combination of playground and temporary water storage, under the assumption that children won't go play in flooded playgorunds.
Some parts of the area have elevated paths and concrete tubes run underneath to connect the different wadi storage areas. Municipality Wierden is one of few who include an explanation of how wadi's are supposed to function on their website, including a video with English closed captions (from Enschede).
The heat symposium in Amsterdam in July showcased current research and solutions to combat urban heat stress. We have many policies and information available to help combat heat, with the most important being the national heat plan. However, it is not always implemented everywhere yet. If we can reduce heat stress, we can also help reduce night heat stress when buildings do not cool down sufficiently and people suffer from lack of sleep, loss of productivity and concentration, stress, and in the worst cases death. The link to socio-economic status is also clearly mapped, and we see worse conditions in areas with lower socio-economic status (in Dutch: armste wijken zijn de warmste wijken). The question has moved to what can be done as implementable measures, as we know where help is needed most. This event highlighted both green infrastructure measures, and cases where GI was not possible.
There are new designs for mobile greenery. While these may not be ideal for plants to exist, they have proven to be effective to reduce experienced temperatures. WUR also showed different design options and how larger trees once again provide larger benefits in terms of shade, water retention, and biodiversity.
Thermal walk research showed that 10% more greenery led to about 0.5 degrees Celsius cooling, and the experienced temperature in shaded areas is about 10-17 degrees Celsius less, meaning greenery can make a big difference.
Still, many inner city buildings are several floors high and thus out of range of most trees. GI cannot solve everything in these cases. Issues mentioned included:
This called for additional measurements within these high rise buildings. After measurements and interviews it was found that:
Aside from technical measures, there was also a clear call to be a humane citizen and check on your neighbours during a heatwave, especially if they are older adults or have a disability. A clear actionable point!
Since 1997, the first Tuesday in September is Sustainable Tuesday in the Netherlands. Traditionally it is an event that makes sustainable events in society more visible. This can be initiatives from either citizen initiatives, startups, or cooperations, and it helps connect their initiatives to policymakers and people with funding. The organization behind Sustainable Tuesday also organizes year round events to increase visibility of these projects. The website has an archive with initiatives from the past years, a great inspiration for future projects. It also serves as a reminder to keep the focus of single sustainability projects small and thereby implementable.
Friday 31 October and Saturday 1 November are Nature Work Day in the Netherlands. Organized by the provincial landscape organizations, this...
