The exhibition responds to the growing need to rethink urban spaces in the face of climate change. European cities are experiencing rising temperatures and more frequent or intense climate-related risks. These risks are not distributed equally: heat, air pollution, flooding, limited access to green space and constrained access to public resources can affect residents differently depending on where and how they live.

The exhibition places urban climate action within this wider social and political context. It does not focus on one technical solution or one ideal city model. Instead, it compares different approaches and shows how climate mitigation and adaptation can relate to questions of public space, housing, mobility, infrastructure, health, biodiversity, resource management and civic participation.

The main objectives are to engage stakeholders and motivate them to set realistic interim goals for themselves — goals they recognize as part of their sphere of influence on the path toward the urgently needed transformation of our urban environment.

The path to achieving this should be guided by understandable and clearly identifiable actions taken by other, comparable policy makers. Stakeholders may identify exemplary urban initiatives in comparable cities and engage with officials there to learn more about them. The resulting insights could support the adaptation or replication of these models in their own contexts or provide inspiration for locally appropriate approaches.

The exhibition was curated by Katharina Böttger, Jonas Malzahn and Mathias Schnell of studio central and received scientific support from Helmholtz KLIMA and the Zentrum Stadtnatur und Klimaanpassung at TU Munich.

The exhibition structure combines several layers of information and engagement:

1. Scientific and political framing

The exhibition introduces scientific foundations and political objectives related to climate change and urban transformation. It addresses the role of cities as both major sources of emissions and places where climate impacts are particularly visible.

2. Urban climate, infrastructure and measurement

Visitors are introduced to urban infrastructures and methods for measuring the urban climate. Mobile climate-measuring devices and a measuring station provide insight into research projects. A swarm of wind cones on the museum roof makes air flows visible, while a rain collector demonstrates how water can be collected using simple means.

3. Examples from 13 European cities

The central part of the exhibition presents 13 cities from five climate regions.

Regions:

1. Boreal: Lappeenranta / Liepāja / Stockholm
2. Atlantic: Houten / Paris / Totnes
3. Alpine: Bern / Vienna
4. Continental: Frankfurt am Main / Copenhagen / Łódź
5. Mediterranean: Barcelona / Kalamata

Cities:

• Lappeenranta (Finland): decarbonisation of district heating, climate and energy education, and ecological restoration around Lake Saimaa;
• Liepāja (Lithuania): public transport, cycling infrastructure, digital urban management and coastal protection;
• Stockholm (Sweden): fossil-free construction, circular management of construction materials and infrastructure designed for future water levels;
• Houten (The Netherlands): cycling-oriented urban design, tree planting, depaving, rainwater management and participatory energy planning;
• Paris (France): green streets, school streets, green roofs, public swimming in the Seine and climate shelters;
• Totnes (UK): civic initiatives, local renewable energy, the Transition Town movement and community-based care structures;
• Bern (Switzerland): river access, flood protection, social and ecological housing, and the transformation of street space;
• Vienna (Austria): climate-sensitive housing, renewable energy and cooling in existing housing blocks, municipal housing, public-space initiatives and local cooling measures;
• Frankfurt am Main (Germany): the protection of green spaces and cold-air corridors, drinking fountains and experiments with climbing plants for shade;
• Copenhagen (Denmark): the retention and storage of stormwater in parks, streets and public spaces as part of an integrated cloudburst-management system;
• Łódź (Poland): the restoration of rivers, green corridors, forest parks, permeable surfaces and the reuse of former industrial areas;
• Barcelona (Spain): superblocks, green axes, climate shelters and modular temporary shading structures; and
• Kalamata (Greece): participatory planning for the coastal area, energy-efficient public lighting and the use of solar energy.

These examples show that climate action can take place at different scales – from a roof, street or courtyard to a neighborhood-wide system or a city-wide strategy. They also show that measures often serve several purposes at once, such as reducing emissions, managing water, improving public health, supporting biodiversity, providing public space or strengthening local participation.

4. Expert perspectives and critical discussion

Interviews with experts expand the perspective on health, social justice, resource management and greenwashing. The exhibition therefore presents climate action not only as a technical or design challenge, but also as a question of distribution, governance and public debate.

5. Public programme and mediation

The exhibition is accompanied by public guided tours, after-work tours, family tours, lectures and discussions. A lecture series on international landscape architecture, climate and health is organised in cooperation with the Bund Deutscher Landschaftsarchitekt:innen, the DAM and the Bund Deutscher Architektinnen und Architekten Hessen. A three-part podcast on Frankfurt am Main, Liepāja and Paris provides an additional format for exploring selected examples.

The exhibition is designed for people of all ages, municipal decision-makers, professionals and an international audience. The programme aims to create opportunities not only to view examples, but also to discuss their implications and transferability.

The exhibition is presented by the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). It was developed and implemented by a curatorial, design, scientific, educational, technical and production team involving the DAM, studio central, social.form, Design Practice, Architects for Future and further partner organisations and individuals.

The exhibition received financial support from the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026, Freunde des DAM, Gerüstbau Paul, Rinn Beton, Bruns Pflanzen, Runge, KS Kalksandstein und WE-EF.

Scientific and professional support included Helmholtz KLIMA, the Zentrum Stadtnatur und Klimaanpassung at TU Munich, TU Berlin, TU Braunschweig, the Bund Deutscher Landschaftsarchitekt:innen, BUND Hessen and further research and professional institutions. The exhibition also involved representatives of participating cities, universities, civic initiatives, design practices and other organisations.

The exhibition makes climate-related urban transformation tangible through a comparative presentation of 13 European cities. Its outputs include:

• an exhibition at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum from 20 June 2026 to 7 February 2027;
• a comparative presentation of projects and approaches from five European climate regions;
• a combination of built projects, strategic planning approaches, research, infrastructure and civic initiatives;
• expert perspectives on health, social justice, resource management and greenwashing;
• installations and equipment that make urban climate phenomena and measurement methods accessible to visitors;
• an accompanying programme of guided tours, lectures and discussions;
• a three-part podcast on selected city examples from Frankfurt am Main, Liepāja and Paris.

The exhibition's contribution lies in connecting concrete urban examples with wider questions about climate policy, design, governance and social justice. It shows that cities respond to climate change through a wide range of measures: from stormwater retention and river restoration to low-carbon construction, renewable energy, public transport, green roofs, cooling spaces, civic energy initiatives and the protection of urban green areas.

The exhibition also makes tensions and limits visible. Examples address conflicts between new housing and the preservation of green space, differences in access to climate shelters and green infrastructure, the distribution of public investment, the use of personal data and the risk that climate measures benefit some neighbourhoods more than others.

By the end of August, some 18,000 visitors had seen the exhibition.

A large number of general and specialized tours were conducted, and there was particular demand for them from working groups at related civil agencies.

Since the opening of the exhibition coincided with the peak of this year's heat wave, there was enormous media coverage. “TOO HOT” was the motto not only of the exhibition at that time.

The exhibition opened during a period of exceptionally hot weather, which generated considerable public and media attention. Several cities have expressed interest in hosting the exhibition at additional locations. The feasibility and conditions for a possible travelling version, including potential presentation dates, are currently being reviewed.

Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Ausstellung. https://dam-online.de/veranstaltung/too-hot/

Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Presseinformation. https://dam-online.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DAM_Presseinformation_Too-Hot_260618.pdf

Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Bildverzeichnis. https://dam-online.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/DAM_Too-Hot_Copyrights_Pressebilder.pdf

Exhibition podcast on Kontextur. https://kntxtr.podigee.io

Special podcast edition on Paris. https://kntxtr.podigee.io/55-sonderfolge-dam-too-hot-paris

Special podcast edition on Liepāja. https://kntxtr.podigee.io/53-sonderfolge-dam-too-hot-liepaja

Special podcast edition on Frankfurt. https://kntxtr.podigee.io/54-sonderfolge-dam-too-hot-frankfurt-am-main