Visualisations help to adapt Malmö to climate change

18.05.2018

In a unique partnership with Lund University, COWI is helping to adapt Malmö to climate change. The work is part of an EU project to identify solutions sought by local players to achieve different objectives, such as a reduced risk of flooding and greater well-being.

The Sofielund district in the south of Malmö is hard-hit by flooding from heavy precipitation.

Researchers at the Centre for Environmental and Climate Research (CEC) at Lund University have taken a closer look at solutions addressing the increased rainfall by imitating natural systems with so-called ‘blue-green solutions’ such as rainwater pools, green roofs and walls and rain gardens.

COWI has contributed with images and visualisations showing how the area might look.

“The images opens up new ways of contributing to social development with closer collaboration between engineers and academics. We are very pleased with the partnership which has also been very educational for us at COWI,” says Bodil Elmqvist, a former researcher at Lund University and now sustainability strategist at COWI and head of the project.

The project has identified solutions sought by local players to achieve different sorts of objectives, such as a reduced risk of flooding and greater well-being in the area. The results can later be used when decisions are taken to implement the blue-green solutions in this district.

The effort is part-financed by the EU climate and innovation fund, Climate-KIC. At the end of April, the report was presented at the seminar on ‘Climate adaptation in the green city’, organised by Lund University. Isa Hilldetun, landscape architect at COWI, was one of the people who designed the images, and she sees great potential for the future.

“COWI’s inspiring illustrations of creative ways of working with blue-green solutions are helping us to take the next step and really make use of the knowledge we already have in practical rainwater projects on both private and public land,” she says.

Link to report Blue-green solutions in Sofielund