BreezeNow is a concept for an easy-to-use dashboard that supports climate-adaptive urban planning in early decision phases. Cities are increasingly affected by heat stress, which impacts public health and quality of life. While urban climate models can help assess the effects of planning decisions, they are often too complex, costly or too dependent on expert knowledge to inform early planning. As a result, important measures to adapt to heat are often addressed and implemented too late. adapt to heat are often addressed and implemented too late.

BreezeNow aims to bridge this gap by translating existing urban climate models into a planner-friendly
interface. Users can quickly compare the current state of an area with planning scenarios such as changes in building layout, tree planting, shading, greening, or surface materials. The tool is not meant to replace detailed expert assessments, but to support fast pre-assessment, early communication, and better decisions about when more in-depth analysis is needed.

A key strength of BreezeNow is its interdisciplinary relevance. The tool is intended for urban planners, climate adaptation teams, public administration, and other municipal actors who need understandable and actionable information. At the same time, clear visual outputs such as maps and simple indicators can support communication with politicians, stakeholders, and the public. To ensure long-term viability and to prevent redundant data management, BreezeNow aims for direct interoperability with urban digital twins.

Within the HAFIS program, the focus is on concept development and testing: defining user needs, selecting relevant indicators, designing first workflows, and exploring a pilot application in Karlsruhe. In the long term, BreezeNow aims to make urban climate knowledge more accessible and actionable for more resilient and inclusive city planning.