BEnchmarking Thermal-behaviour in Transitional spaces as an Energy Efficiency Resource (BETTER)

The MAUHAUS project (Multiscale Assessment of Urban Heat-Island Applied to Urban Suburbs) aims to optimize the thermal resilience of urban public spaces in Southern Europe, focusing specifically on social housing groups constructed between 1950 and 1980. The core objective is to identify and propose technically and socially viable adaptation strategies against global overheating, aligning with the principles of the New European Bauhaus. 

The methodology employs a holistic, hybrid, and multi-scalar approach structured around four General Objectives: CITY, MICROCLIMATE, CITIZEN, and MANAGEMENT. Initially, the Potential Urban Overheating Risk (RPSU) is mapped at the macro-scale using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to select representative case studies in high climatic severity areas. Subsequently, the microclimate within defined Perimeters of Urban Observation (POU) is evaluated using integrated methods, including hybrid monitoring (IoT, thermography) and advanced simulation (Computational Fluid Dynamics, CFD), validating the efficacy of mitigation measures. Concurrently, climate vulnerability is quantified (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity), incorporating citizens’ subjective thermal comfort perception and the gender dimension. Finally, all correlated data are synthesized using Machine Learning models (Random Forest) to generate a Decision Support Tool. This tool prioritizes intervention strategies, ensuring results are actionable and transferable to public administrations (MANAGEMENT).