Urban Climate Adaptation: A Solutions-Oriented Study Abroad Program Examining Heat in Tempe and Freiburg

Extreme heat is an increasingly major issue for urban areas worldwide due to the effects of climate change. There are a variety of actions that can be taken to combat this heat, with the most beneficial being sustainable heat actions. These actions address extreme heat, and also aim to be long-lasting, equitable and just for people and nature. Teaching future generations of professionals about extreme heat issues and solutions approaches to address them prepares these individuals for their future roles in society. To teach these solutions to future professionals, a two week long study abroad program focusing on urban heat adaptation and sustainable solutions has been created for students at Arizona State University. The city of study used for this curriculum is Freiburg, Germany, a city well-known for its sustainable actions and policy. This curriculum is broken down into pre-course modules and abroad modules. The pre-course modules occur online prior to the course while the abroad modules take place in Freiburg. There are 23 modules included in this curriculum in total. These modules give students an introduction to the city, introduce types of heat actions, provide examples of sustainable heat solutions, and culminate with a final presentation comparing the city of Freiburg, Germany with students' home city, Tempe, Arizona. This curriculum can be used by schools and universities worldwide to study sustainable heat solutions in the context of Freiburg, Germany. Due to the ease with which Tempe-based sections can be switched out, the course is adaptable to multiple learning scenarios. The curriculum is highly place-based in relation to the city of Freiburg and the course is an untested program intended to act as a two week course, providing some limiting factors and considerations. A final learning reflection highlights the main findings from the curriculum writing process.