Using AI to Model Climate Impacts

A German research team used AI to understand how thermal stress will impact urban infrastructure down to the street level.

1 minute read

July 15, 2024, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


University of Freiburg modern glass library building.

Bogdan Lazar / Adobe Stock

A project from the University of Freiburg in Germany assessed how researchers can use artificial intelligence to model the impacts of climate change and calculate ‘thermal stress’ on local infrastructure down to the street level. 

According to an article on Phys.org, the model estimates how heat and thermal stress will impact facilities. “In a simulation as well as on the basis of interviews with representatives from various departments of Freiburg's city administration, the researchers also studied where the project's AI-based tools could actually be put to good use in urban planning, what opportunities, risks, and challenges this would involve, and how the tools should be further adapted for practical use.”

The article adds, “The model still needs to be merged with data on the vulnerability of individual urban spaces, but it can already be used now to evaluate urban planning measures such as the unsealing of surfaces. In addition, the researchers developed a novel method for automatically determining where to plant trees in a neighborhood to achieve the maximum reduction of thermal stress.”

Wednesday, July 10, 2024 in Phys.org

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9, 2025 - Axios

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Canadian flag in foreground with blurred Canadian Parliament building in background in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Has President Trump Met His Match?

Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

March 11, 2025 - Toronto Star

Aerial view of Honolulu, Hawaii coastline at dusk.

Honolulu's Iwilei Center Plans for Redevelopment Into Mixed-Use Space

Striving to expand affordable housing options for Oahu residents, Honolulu's Department of Land Management requests to redevelop the Iwilei Center into a mixed-use space.

March 12 - Spectrum News

Orange Biketown bike share bikes parked at station on sidewalk in Portland, Oregon,

Biketown Lives

Despite public perception of its decline, Portland’s bike share system is alive and well.

March 12 - Willamette Week

Quiet tree-lined street in Stockholm, Sweden in summer.

‘Stockholm Tree Pit’ Saves Dying Urban Trees

After noticing that two-thirds of its trees were dying, Stockholm developed a new planting method to protect trees surrounded by concrete.

March 12 - Reasons to Be Cheerful