The Urban Climate Future Lab is an interdisciplinary research initiative that examines the interactions between urban development and climate change over a six-year period. The goal is to develop scientifically grounded solutions for the sustainable transformation of urban spaces. The project brings together partners from academia and practice, including universities, research institutes, and representatives from civil society.
The Urban Climate Future Lab is structured in two phases. The first phase (2024–2026) focuses on analyzing existing structures and collecting climate-relevant data. Based on these findings, the second phase (2027–2030) will develop concrete scenarios and measures for sustainable urban development.
A key research area within the Urban Climate Future Lab is the sustainable design of mobility in urban environments. The Institute for Transport and Urban Engineering (IVS) at Technische Universität Braunschweig investigates the interactions between mobility systems and the urban environment. The objective is to develop climate-friendly mobility concepts that support societal participation and economic development.
Further information is available on the Urban Climate Future Lab website:
https://urbanclimatefuturelab.de/
In the first project phase, an agent-based transport model is developed and calibrated to enable detailed simulations of traffic dynamics and their climate-relevant impacts. In the second phase, these simulations are used to test concrete measures and scenarios for sustainable mobility development. On this basis, recommendations for action and the transformation pathway are derived to achieve the long-term goals of climate-friendly urban development.
IVS is responsible for developing and calibrating an agent-based transport model and analyzes the climate impacts of different mobility scenarios. Key climate-relevant influencing factors are defined and integrated into the simulation framework. The results of these analyses feed into practice-oriented recommendations that help cities and municipalities make their transport systems more climate-friendly and future-proof. The developed model and the simulation results will be provided as open-source solutions to enable broad application and further development.