Cycling Research Board Annual Meeting

The transport sector is a major contributor to climate change, with motorised individual transport producing substantial carbon dioxide emissions. Strengthening active mobility is therefore key to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance sustainable urban development. However, climate change simultaneously poses new challenges for active mobility. Increasing heat stress, more frequent extreme weather events and changing weather patterns affect the comfort and appeal of active mobility, particularly in urban areas. Despite this, current traffic planning regulations and design guidelines rarely incorporate measures to adapt cycling and pedestrian infrastructure to changing climatic conditions.

This research project addresses this issue through an integrated methodological approach combining a literature review of adaptation measures, microclimate analysis in the model city of Trier using local weather station data and microclimate modelling, and wearable-based measurements of individual heat stress experienced by cyclists and pedestrians, complemented by survey data on perceived thermal comfort and mobility behaviour.

The workshop builds on this approach by exploring preliminary insights from the ongoing research. This playful, hands‑on 45‑minute session translates emerging evidence and conceptual findings from the Trier field lab into practical adaptation strategies. Following a concise 10-minute introduction outlining expected patterns (where it’s hottest, who suffers most, and which measures show promise), participants work in small teams to develop rapid intervention concepts for a given neighbourhood scenario. Teams sketch a one‑page pilot concept. The session concludes with short pitches from each group, a moderated discussion, and a brief award ceremony for the most compelling proposal.

Participants will gain practical insights and transferable ideas for climate-resilient infrastructure design. At the same time, the workshop outcomes will feed back into the research project by helping to refine and prioritise adaptation measures. Overall, the project contributes to the development of resilient and sustainable cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in the face of climate change.