In Regensburg, people living in poverty are often exposed to higher temperatures and, at the same time, have far fewer means of protecting themselves from them. This starts with their housing situation. People on low incomes are more likely to live in small, poorly insulated or overheated flats, such as top-floor flats or those without a balcony, terrace or garden. Moving to a flat that offers a better quality of life is often not a realistic option.
“People living in poverty often lack access to cooling open spaces at home. They are more dependent than others on public facilities and cool places to spend time in public spaces,” explains Prof. Dr Ina Schildbach of OTH Regensburg, Professor of Political Science specialising in social policy and project leader of the Regensburg Poverty Report. For many of those affected, reaching and using these cooling facilities involves a number of obstacles.
Where poverty and heat converge
The geographical overlap between poverty and heat is particularly problematic. In her bachelor’s thesis, Hannah Schmidt links the social index with climate data for the city of Regensburg.The analysis shows that several neighbourhoods in Regensburg are both socially disadvantaged and disproportionately affected by summer heat stress. These include, in particular, parts of the Kasernen and Osten districts, especially the area between Zeißstraße and Benzstraße.
In Burgweinting (Käthe-Kollwitz-Straße) and in Wutzlhofen (Chamer- and Schlesierstraße), too, there are heightened social pressures and high thermal stress. Although access to green spaces is better there, overall there is a lack of easily accessible thermal buffer zones – that is, green spaces that are significantly cooler than the densely built-up surroundings – particularly in the east of Regensburg.
For people living there, this means they have to travel further to reach parks or specific municipal facilities. However, the poverty report shows that getting there presents a barrier. “Despite concessions, such as those offered by the Regensburg City Pass, mobility remains a difficult issue. The 50 per cent discount remains a financial hurdle for people living on the breadline,” explains Prof. Dr Ina Schildbach. Costs, bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of information mean that many services are not used in the first place.
Heat exacerbates social exclusion
Whilst for many people summer is associated with holidays, outdoor swimming pools or leisure activities, interviews featured in the Poverty Report show that these opportunities remain out of reach for many households affected by poverty. “Everything costs money,” say those affected in interviews. Even taking part in simple, non-consumer-oriented activities often involves hidden costs, such as the price of a drink in a café, food at an event or admission to a swimming pool.
“When the town is watching football, I’m usually not actively involved. It always assumes that you’ve got plenty of money for coffee and beer, which is so expensive,” says another person affected. The interviews in the poverty report suggest that, from the perspective of many of those affected, there is a lack of easily accessible places to spend time where there is no pressure to spend money.
The findings of the bachelor’s thesis and the poverty report paint a consistent picture: the effects of heat are determined not only by the outside temperature, but also by housing circumstances, income, mobility and access to cool places to stay.
