Thermal Communities in Times of Climate Crisis; Berlin as Case Study

This project, conducted by researcher Noa Levin at the Accademia di architettura di Mendrisio with Prof. Sascha Roesler, focuses on the politics of the rapidly transforming thermal conditions, and the formation of ‘thermal communities’ in urban environments. Climate change is the most urgent threat for our planet, and, since its effects are more extreme in cities, global warming presents specific challenges for city planners. This project argues that thermal communities – informal communities constructed around thermal conditions – are an important and overlooked element driving both cityled responses and bottom-up initiatives that form part of climate adaptation. The project combines theoretical and empirical methodologies. It’s twofold objectives are the following. On the theoretical level, it seeks to put forward a conception of thermal conditions and communities as part of the urban public sphere, and as categories of critical urban theory. On the empirical level, the project seeks to demonstrate the significance of community initiatives that aim to create and appropriate indoor and outdoor microclimatic spaces – e.g public swimming pools, climatised shopping malls – to processes of climate adaptation.