Oradea City Hall is currently collecting climate data from the past decade for the development of the SURFEX study under the European Life Cool Zone project, in which Oradea and Debrecen have been participating for five years since autumn 2025.

Project manager George Ionas from the Directorate for the Management of Internationally Funded Projects at Oradea City Hall told AGERPRES that comprehensive data dating back to 2015 are being gathered for the SURFEX study, which will identify urban heat islands in Oradea and its Functional Urban Area, comprising the surrounding communes with socio-economic links to the city. The study is expected to be finalised at the beginning of 2027, after which technical solutions and climate adaptation measures will be implemented, with a focus on nature-based solutions and innovative technologies.

Oradea is the only Romanian partner in the Life Cool Zone project, alongside the Hungarian city of Debrecen. The initiative aims to address the growing challenges posed by climate change, particularly extreme heat waves and the urban heat island effect in functional urban areas. The project will run from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2030.

According to city representatives, the project will begin with detailed temperature mapping and an assessment of urban vulnerability, identifying 'hotspots', evaluating neighbourhood-level risks and setting intervention priorities. Using the internationally recognised SURFEX climate model, temperature variations across neighbourhoods will be analysed both for current conditions and future projections.

Based on these analyses, Oradea will implement at least 10 climate adaptation measures, including permeable surfaces and cool pavements, fountains and water walls for urban cooling, redesign for natural ventilation, green infrastructure and ecological corridors, drought-resistant tree planting and smart sensor-equipped trees, green façades and roofs, as well as interactive water platforms for education and leisure.

A decision-support platform will also be created at the level of the Functional Urban Area and a Local Climate Adaptation Strategy will be drafted and integrated into Oradea's urban planning framework to guide future public investments and ensure long-term continuity of adaptation measures.

City representatives stated that Oradea and Debrecen will serve as pilot areas to test whether the urban heat island effect can be effectively addressed at the level of an entire functional urban area, rather than solely within city limits. The project will explore an integrated urban-peri-urban approach.

In the short term, the initiative is expected to improve understanding of urban thermal risks, strengthen cooperation, including cross-border collaboration, and demonstrate the effectiveness of nature-based solutions. In the long term, it aims to reduce health risks, improve living conditions in affected neighbourhoods and develop models that can be replicated in other European cities.

The total value of the project amounts to 4,334,614.94 euros, financed through the European Union's LIFE Programme. Of this amount, Oradea will receive 878,566.30 euros to implement local climate adaptation solutions, while the remaining budget will be managed by project partners for municipal cooperation, climate modelling and the development of heat mitigation solutions.

The project, titled 'Life Cool Zone - Innovative municipal cooperation and integrated solutions for managing heat waves in functional urban areas', is coordinated by the Hungarian Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development. The consortium includes scientific institutions and partners from Hungary, such as HungaroMet, the Lechner Knowledge Centre, the Municipality of Debrecen and the Association of Climate-Friendly Municipalities of Hungary. Oradea Municipality is the main Romanian partner. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Eugenia Pasca; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)