Preparing Maribor for hotter days ahead through heat action planning

Today, Maribor’s climate is marked by sunny days, but heat stress is on the rise. By mid-century, the number of hot days will almost double, with tropical nights becoming more frequent. The increase in consecutive heat days will further increase the risk of heat stress, especially for vulnerable groups such as the city's growing elderly population. These climatic changes have important implications for the planning of urban services and infrastructure.

Maribor's heat action plan

The municipality of Maribor has spent the last two year developing a comprehensive strategy and heat action plan to increase the municipality's resilience to heatwaves. Supported by Interreg Ready4Heat project, the strategy focuses on identifying and protecting the most vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, children, pregnant women, infants and outdoor workers, as well as people with pre-existing medical conditions. It also aims to implement measures in line with the city's financial capacities.

Within Maribor heat action plan, a heat and climate analysis has been developed. These two maps showcase heat stress, the effects of urban heat build-up and also the heat hotspots in the city and where they overlap with vulnerable infrastructure. 

^{© Slovenian Surveying and Mapping Authority.}

Maribor is implementing short, medium and long-term measures, covering built infrastructure, green spaces like parks and trees, and water features, along with actions to improve governance, new technologies and promote behaviour change and awareness-raising measures.

^{© Gordana Kolesarič}

A wide range of measures to refresh the city

As part of the Ready4Heat project, a nature-based solution has been implemented to provide shade and cooling at kindergarten playgrounds using green pergolas. This measure aims to protect vulnerable groups such as toddlers and pre-school children, from extreme heat. 

Over the past 10 years, over 3 000 trees have been planted in the city. The city also plans to revive an urban vineyard on Piramida Hill, once a vineyard site that had been abandoned for decades. These efforts are part of a broader commitment to greening the city, its streets, public spaces, schoolyards and areas to be reconstructed.

^{© Csaba Lajtman}

The city also recognises that rising temperatures increasingly expose its residents, often children and other people, to heat stress while waiting at bus stops, many of which currently lack adequate shade. In response, since 2024  Maribor is developing nature-based solutions to reduce urban heat islands at selected bus stops. These solutions will continue to be tested and implemented throughout 2025. 

Coordinated implementation

The overall plan implementation is coordinated by the Municipal Heat Action Plan Steering Group, in collaboration with relevant government departments, recognising the cross-sectoral nature of both the issue and the necessary solutions. The Ready4Heat project has also helped establish local stakeholder networks working together to tackle heat stress.  

City stakeholders were involved early in the preparation phase of the Action Plan through workshops and surveys. These sessions provided insights on the impacts of heatwaves and invited discussion on potential mitigation measures. This early involvement also paved the way for assigning specific responsibilities to various stakeholders during the implementation phase. 

Health care institutions and organisations - such as health centres, emergency services, children's clinics, counselling centres and social welfare institutions - are recognised in the plan as essential actors in providing medical advice and ware during heatwaves. Community and voluntary organisations, including pensioners' associations, associations for elderly and people with disability, voluntary fire brigades, the Red Cross, other humanitarian organisations, and civil protection units, are also expected to play a key role in informing and supporting vulnerable groups. 

Main challenges in addressing heatwaves

Several strategies have been implemented to tackle the challenges related to heatwaves:

• Reaching out to community members: Cooperation with pensioners’ associations in Maribor has proven to be very effective, as they have a large network of volunteers who support elderly people in their homes. By educating these volunteers, they can help raise awareness among older individuals living alone about the importance of taking preventive measures during heatwaves. Older people are among the most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach groups.
• Insufficient natural cooling in some parts of the territory: Publicly accessible cool spaces are being identified to offer citizens relief during heatwaves, particularly in urban heat island areas in the city centre where there is not enough greenery to provide natural cooling to cool down the area.
• Ensuring existing trees are included in new urban plans: Construction planners and architects are encouraged to preserve and include mature trees in their plans, rather than cutting them down and replacing them with new ones, which take 20 to 50 years to grow enough to provide effective canopy cover.
• Ensuring the right selection of tree species: In the framework of the Strategy and Heat Action Plan for the Municipality of Maribor, a list of recommended tree species has been developed. It includes species suited to Maribor’s climate and conditions, selected based on various criteria to thrive in different urban settings such as parks, public green spaces, roadsides, car parks, and other locations. The resource also provides requirements for tree seedlings, along with key guidelines for planting and maintaining young urban trees.

Lessons learnt and next steps

Strong municipal ownership has been a key factor in the success of this process. The City Council officially adopted the strategy in January 2025, demonstrating leadership and political commitment. This ownership is further reinforced through the Council’s annual review of progress, carried out as part of the reporting on the implementation of the Local Energy and Climate Concept for the Municipality of Maribor.

The extensive collaboration within the Ready4Heat partnership has also played a crucial role. Peer exchanges have enabled the sharing of insights and best practices from other partner cities, such as Worms, Weiz and Hajdúböszörmény, as well as from experts.   

Replicability

Maribor’s strategy and Heat Action plan will be shared with other Slovenia municipalities through the Slovene Association of municipalities. Association representatives attended the stakeholders' kick-off meeting and have also shared information about the Ready4Heat project with other municipalities via their webpages. The National Institute for Public Health and the Network of Healthy Cities in Slovenia have committed to sharing the action plan with other municipalities and regions to encourage replication.  

At the Association of City Municipalities in Slovenia, Maribor presented the Strategy and Heat Action Plan at a best practices event on 25 March 2025, where city officials gathered to discuss potential solutions to climate change.

Maribor is part of the Cities Refresh campaign, creating lively and safe places for all.

Maribor's Refresh

Rising temperatures are increasing the overall heat load, with a noticeable rise in the number of hot summer days, when the daily maximum air temperature exceeds 30 °C.

Solutions to address heat waves

• Nature
  • Trees planting
  • Reviving an urban vineyard in the Piramida Hill
• Urban Design and Technology
  • Creating resilient public transport infrastructures
  • Designing adequately cooled and ventilated public spaces
• Governance
  • Heat Action Plan
• Community
  • Care for vulnerable groups involving community groups and organisations

Expected results with the solutions implemented:  

• Ensure health and well-being of the inhabitants
• Suitable living and working conditions during hot summer days
• Reduction of urban heat island effects
• Protect vulnerable populations
• Improve mitigation and prevention

Covenant Figures 

Signatory to the Covenant of Mayors since: 2011

Emission reduction ambitions:  

• % GHG emissions reductions by 2030:  55%

City Awards

• 2025 Tree City of the World Recognition from Arbor Day Foundation, Food and Agriculture Organization,

Related links 

• Maribor Heat Action Plan - Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE
• Summary of the Strategy and measures of Heat Action Plan
• Maribor Heat Action Plan - Ready4Heat