MAINCODE

MAINCODE proposes Urban Climate Shelters as a long-term strategy for climate mitigation and adaptation in urban contexts that aim to protect populations, particularly the most vulnerable groups, during extreme climate events by integrating NbS and co-design processes in a network of safe, inclusive, and accessible public spaces to enhance urban liveability, improve human health, and promote regenerative urbanism. MAINCODE advocates the idea that public spaces can be turned into climate shelters, testing this approach in two pilot schoolyards in Italy and Greece. MAINCODE frames Urban Climate Shelters as a promising cooling demonstration project, aiming to transform schoolyards into safe spaces while actively engaging children, local communities, policy makers and practitioners.

MAINCODE’s overarching goal is to strengthen, scale up, and replicate Urban Climate Shelters as a solution for co-living with extreme heat not only to address urgent environmental challenges, but also to contribute to a long-term strategy for cities facing the escalating impacts of climate change. 

To bridge climate action and public health, MAINCODE expands the scientific framework for analytically interpreting climate shelters and recognises the co-benefits of mainstreaming NbS to create a network of shelters that address societal challenges and enhance urban resilience. To achieve this, MAINCODE delivers a comprehensive methodology for the implementation, testing, and validation of climate shelters, piloted in schoolyards in Turin (Italy) and Halandri (Greece). 

Finally, MAINCODE provides a practical toolkit for schools and practitioners, along with a set of policy recommendations for decision-makers, to guide the replication of climate shelters across diverse urban contexts and promote broader adoption throughout European cities.