On October 1 and 2, 2025, the kick-off meeting of the interdisciplinary research project UMEX-HOPE (Understanding the urban microclimate-ecosystem nexus to enable holistic climate adaption in a changing climate) took place at Leibniz University Hannover (LUH). Funded by the Ministry for Science and Culture of Lower Saxony (Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur) and the Volkswagen Foundation, the project brings together Leibniz University Hannover, the Technische Universität Berlin, the Technische Universität Braunschweig, the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, the University Medical Center Göttingen, and GEO-NET Umweltconsulting GmbH under the leadership of Prof. Björn Maronga (LUH), as the official spokesperson of the consortium. The aim of the project is to better understand the relationships between urban microclimate, ecosystem health, and human health.
The first day of the meeting was devoted to presenting the subprojects within the consortium. Topics included:
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modeling urban microclimates with PALM,
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agent modeling with MATSim,
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environmental measurement campaigns in Hanover and Braunschweig,
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the analysis of emergency operations in the context of urban structure and heat waves,
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the recording and investigation of mosquito habitats and vector diseases,
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the involvement of stakeholders for sustainable and health-promoting urban planning,
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as well as studies on indoor air quality in cooperation with Nibelungen-Wohnbau-GmbH Braunschweig
On the second day, the focus was on exchanges with the Lower Saxony Centre for Climate Research and external stakeholders. Representatives from the health sector (Lower Saxony State Health Office), administration, and municipal planning offices from the participating municipalities (City of Hannover, Region Hannover, city of Braunschweig, municipality of Wedemark, and Cremlingen) discussed expectations, challenges, and opportunities for cooperation with the consortium. The aim is to identify synergies at an early stage and enable the practical implementation of the research results.
The Department of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology was represented by Prof. Dr. Nadja Kabisch, Annika Emlinger, and future employee Pauline Schütze, who will join the team on November 1, 2025. The department's contribution lies primarily in the area of landscape structural analyses for the identification of potential mosquito habitats, as well as in the organization and investigation of the transdisciplinary participation process with external partners to create a space for the joint development of knowledge for urban planning.
