Heat Adaptation Menu
The Heat Adaptation Menu (Menukaart Hitte in Dutch) provides an overview of all available tools to tackle heat in the built environment. The Menu does this by providing insight into the negative effects of heat, formulating goals on which a municipality can work, and providing tips about the measures that a municipality could already take.
Health
Heat adaptation is primarily aimed at the health of vulnerable people who are heat sensitive (in Dutch). The National Heat Plan (in Dutch) and its further development in local heat plans is the framework within which the necessary information and care for vulnerable people during a heat wave is provided.
Secondarily, heat adaptation is aimed at the living comfort of a large part of society. In the future, we want a 'livable' living and working environment in which people experience as little heat stress as possible. With the increasing number of heat waves, which also last longer and where temperatures continue to rise, it is important to respond now so that problems do not become too big.
Housing
The second domain in which heat poses a risk is the home or residence (housing), especially where people vulnerable to heat reside. Cooling (behavioral) measures and physical adjustments to the home and buildings can reduce heat stress. Similar measures are important for less vulnerable people to maintain or bring living comfort to an acceptable level during a hot period.
Habitat
The third domain where heat causes nuisance is the living environment (habitat). A green-blue environment is cooler than an impermeable, paved environment. A green-blue living environment increases the comfort of users.
Because heat waves occur almost annually, and taking structural heat reduction measures in the housing and habitat domains often takes a lot of time (it takes years before a tree is fully grown to provide shade and coolness), it is important that the municipality first protects the health of people as best as possible. The Local Heat Action Plan protects vulnerable people during the heat. The local heat plan can be the basis for this. In addition, steps can be taken with partners and local society to make outdoor spaces, homes and other buildings heat-resistant.
Government support
The Menu was developed on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior and RVO, in collaboration with the Netherlands Climate Association, TAUW and &flux. If you have suggestions for improvement for this Menu, for example additional heat measures, you can send your suggestions to climateadaptatie@rvo.nl
- Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning
