White flags over Hohe Straße: Cologne is fighting the heat!

White flags over Hohe Straße: Cologne is fighting the heat!

In downtown Cologne, white flags have recently been flying over Hohe Strasse. This new project aims to improve the climate in the busy shopping street, especially on the hottest summer days. Hohe Straße, one of the oldest and busiest shopping streets in Germany, is often critically perceived as neglected and as a cheap shopping street. The challenge lies in the narrow, medieval structure of the street, which leaves little space for greenery or cooling elements. But the newly installed white flags between house numbers 121 and 131 are trying to bring a breath of fresh air into the shopping experience and provide shade.

The project was initiated by Stadtmarketing Köln e.V. and supported by the “Cologne City Disposal Fund”. Scientific support from the “Cologne City Center Climate Laboratory” – a cooperation between the University of Cologne and Aachener Grund Vermögens – ensures that the measure is subjected to a thorough evaluation. Students analyze the temperature developments in the areas with and without flags using installed measuring stations. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the shading elements and thus gain insights that could also be important for further measures in the city center. Even if the Cologne measurements focus on local conditions, they could serve as a model for similar projects in other cities.

Climate protection in Cologne

But the white flags are not the only measure in Cologne against climate change. Climate protection includes far-reaching steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The average German citizen currently produces around 9 tons of CO2 emissions per year, while the target should fall to 1.5 tons per capita per year. In order to achieve this, profound changes are necessary in our usual lifestyles, energy supply and consumer behavior. Everyone can act climate-positively through simple measures in everyday life: be it through the use of renewable energy sources or climate-friendly mobility such as buses, trains or bicycles, as emphasized on stadt-koeln.de.

The importance of urban greening

Another important aspect of improving the urban climate is urban greening. This has become more important in times of climate change and rising temperatures in cities. Green areas reduce so-called heat islands and increase the quality of life by reducing noise and binding fine dust. Plants not only help by absorbing pollutants and producing oxygen, they also promote biodiversity by creating habitats for a variety of plant and animal species. Projects like the one in Cologne show that the integration of shade-providing elements is important and must be carefully planned and maintained.

The long-term goal of those responsible in Cologne is to establish Hohe Straße as a high-quality entrance with a high quality of stay. In 2022, the “Mission Statement for the Hohe Straße and Schildergasse retail locations” was adopted, which divides the two shopping streets into six ecologically and aesthetically designed quarters. This vision will not only be important for local populations, but could also serve as a model for other cities interested in similar climate-promoting measures. In addition, the continuous integration of green spaces into urban planning could make a major contribution to reducing surface temperatures and increasing the quality of life in urban areas.

Cologne's city center is at a turning point - something is really happening. Using a combination of creative ideas and scientific analysis, the city is working together towards a climate-resilient future model.