Integrated action for climate resilience in Alba Iulia

In 2022, further proving its engagement in climate resilience Alba Iulia Municipality, in collaboration with Alba Local Energy Agency (ALEA) as technical partner, elaborated the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Action Plan – CCAMAP within the CRESC project, implemented with support from EEA grants for climate resilience and decarbonisation.

The Plan played a crucial role in advancing local research on climate hazards, exposing vulnerabilities such as flash floods, urban heat islands (UHI), a low percentage of green spaces, limited institutional capacity, and the (lack of) local networking for climate adaptation. Also, it provided data-based solutions as:

• Resizing the urban water drainage system based on field studies and rainwater volume simulation during heavy precipitation, considering the terrain specifications in affected areas;

• Extending green spaces in areas affected by UHI and heat waves considering road/pedestrian traffic and the density of inhabitants in the affected areas;

• Optimising traffic on local roads based on flash flood vulnerability map.

The elaboration of the CCAMAP has generated other useful outputs such as climate hazard scenarios, prioritisation of measures according to the costs of damage incurred by the occurrence of the hazards, and identification of key institutions and their roles in the calamity intervention process. It also generated an updated list of adaptation actions, including retrofits of the urban water drainage system and intensified data acquisition/studies on local climate hazards.

The weather and climate analyses conducted within the CCAMAP helped create an UHI map, serving as a best practice example for other Romanian municipalities. UHI maps help local authorities to identify the high-risk areas and can provide data on the causes that contribute to the hazard and even suggest feasible measures for local UHI mitigation.

With the Climate Change Action Plan starting its implementation in 2022, the challenge is securing suitable financing sources for climate resilience actions. ALEA, together with Alba Iulia Municipality, is actively involved in CLIMATEFIT (Horizon Europe project) to make climate resilience financially sustainable, by identifying adequate financing solutions. Alba Iulia CCAMAP represents a comprehensive, collaborative approach to climate planning, significantly impacting the municipality’s resilience and sustainability.

This best practice is extracted from our publication ‘Sustainable Regions in Action‘. Discover more best practices here!