“The renaturalisation of cities is key, and trees play an indisputable role”

29/06/2026

Urban Klima 2050 explains on Radio Vitoria how cities can adapt to heatwaves and highlights the initiatives currently being developed in Vitoria-Gasteiz as part of the project. 

The LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project discussed on Radio Vitoria’s Gaur 1 programme how cities can adapt to a climate change context characterised by an increase in episodes of extreme heat. In the interview, Ihobe’s Climate Action expert, Iñigo Urrutikoetxea Alvarez, highlighted that urban adaptation involves strengthening the green infrastructure and transforming spaces to make them more liveable. 

During the conversation, the starting point of Vitoria-Gasteiz was highlighted as a city that “is comparatively better prepared than other examples”, although it still has “a long way to go” in terms of the challenges posed by climate change. 

One of the key concepts discussed was the ‘heat island’ effect, which explains how surfaces such as tarmac or concrete absorb heat during the day and subsequently release it, keeping temperatures high even at night. In light of this phenomenon, Urrutikoetxea highlighted the role of vegetation: “Surfaces covered in vegetation do not retain that heat; they enable it to escape and help to reduce the city’s temperature”. 

In this respect, he particularly wanted to emphasise the role of urban trees: “The renaturalisation of cities is key, and trees play an indisputable role in this”. As he explained, the presence of trees can result in temperature differences of up to 10 degrees between tree-lined streets and spaces without any vegetation. 

Nature-based solutions to reduce urban heat 

In this context, Urban Klima 2050 is working to implement nature-based solutions to increase the resilience of urban environments. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, these actions revolve around a number of pilot schemes. 

The renaturalisation of the Medieval Quarter stands out, where green solutions are being incorporated into a high-density urban environment to increase thermal comfort. The development of a green corridor in the Júndiz/Mendebaldea area, aimed at restoring degraded spaces and improving ecological connectivity in an industrial zone, is also significant. 

These initiatives are joined by the Basaldea project, which aims to promote local agriculture and strengthen peri-urban green infrastructure, as well as to collaborate on the naturalisation of school playgrounds, which are particularly important as they are used by vulnerable groups, such as children. 

The interview also highlighted the importance of other adaptation measures already in place in the city, such as the network of climate shelters, which enable citizens to seek refuge during periods of extreme heat. 

RADIO VITORIA - GAUR 1 La gran ventana de la actualidad 24/06/2026