Under the title Help, the Alps are burning! Thoughts on a climate spatial plan for the city of Lienz, Theresa Janesch develops a draft climate spatial plan in her diploma thesis, using the city of Lienz as a case study.

Abstract: Tackling the climate crisis is one of the key challenges of the future. The Alpine region is warming faster than other regions as a result of climate change. The anticipated impacts of climate change make a transformation of spatial structures in the Alpine area — including Alpine towns — urgently necessary. Forward-looking urban planning can make a crucial contribution to this. While climate plans for Alpine towns already exist, they often lack integrated measures with a spatial dimension as well as the spatial mapping of such measures. This diploma thesis therefore sets out to develop an initial draft for a climate spatial plan, using the city of Lienz as a case study. 

The most important outcome of the climate spatial plan is the spatial mapping of structures and measures that not only enable climate-friendly behaviour, but are also effective in terms of climate protection and climate change adaptation. The thesis begins by explaining the need for a climate spatial plan. To this end, the impacts of climate change on Alpine towns are analysed, selected climate plans and tools for the Alpine region are assessed for their climate compatibility, and the significance of transformative planning in the context of the climate crisis is explored. The specific conditions in the city of Lienz are then presented in a factsheet with a particular focus on climate-related issues. The factsheet covers the location of the city, the definition of the planning area for the climate spatial plan, and relevant key figures. In the chapter on the need for action, a layer analysis and a photo essay are used to examine how climate-friendly the spatial structures in Lienz currently are. 

An overview of the relevant planning framework conditions for Lienz provides the context for the climate spatial plan. Finally, the vision section uses plans to show what a climate-friendly spatial structure for the city of Lienz could look like. The ideas are complemented by visualisations and a selection of 60 concrete measures. In addition, the impact of the mapped measures is reflected upon by comparing selected spatial structures of the city of Lienz in their current and planned states.

The diploma thesis is publicly available here: https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2024.109630