Dutch Heatwave Response: Curtains, Shade, and Green Solutions

A heatwave has prompted the Netherlands to activate its national heatwave plan. Dutch housing, built for damp, cool climates, typically features large windows that admit solar heat. The public health institute RIVM outlines three response levels—behaviour, housing, and urban design. Key participants are Eline Coolen (Amsterdam heat coordinator), Werner Hagens (heatwave-plan coordinator), Bert Blocken (mechanical-engineering professor, Heriot-Watt), Jeroen Kluck (climate-city professor, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences), and Sandra Phlippen (climate-strategy head, ABN Amro).

The Guardian

RIVM’s three-tiered plan yields actions. Behaviourally, Amsterdam’s health institute posted a viral guide urging residents to rig temporary curtain rails or hang sheets over windows to cut solar heat gain. Housing measures promote exterior solar shading, retractable blinds, and white-washed roofs. Urban-design pilots test fake trees, pergolas with climbing plants, and mobile “jungle blocks” for shaded walkways. A Vereniging Eigen Huis survey reported 23 % of homes too hot, yet 80 % tried personal cooling. ABN Amro estimates a night of sleep loss costs €200, highlighting economic stakes. Heatwave-plan coordinator Werner Hagens says awareness campaigns have been linked to lower mortality. Bert Blocken says blocking sunlight is the most effective passive cooling method.

The Guardian

Implementation faces practical constraints. Jeroen Kluck points out that limited public space and insufficient funding often hinder the deployment of green infrastructure and shading devices. While green roofs, trees, and pergolas can improve urban comfort and biodiversity, municipalities must balance these benefits against budgetary pressures.

The Guardian

Residents responded to the online call by rigging curtain rails and hanging sheets over windows, a practice observed in Amsterdam-Noord and echoed by Barcelona dwellers who installed balcony blinds. The homeowner association’s survey confirms that most occupants are actively seeking low-cost cooling solutions.

The Guardian

The article provides no quantitative assessment of temperature reductions achieved by exterior shading or green installations, and funding allocations for these measures remain unspecified. Data on long-term health outcomes linked to the current interventions are also absent.

The Guardian

• “In Dutch houses, but also in many houses in northern Europe, you have very big windows,” — Eline Coolen, Amsterdam public health institute

The Guardian

• “If I were mayor, my first executive order would be to apply exterior solar shading on all buildings.” — Bert Blocken, Heriot-Watt University

The Guardian

• “There’s always a reason not to do it: there’s limited public space, there’s no more money,” — Jeroen Kluck, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

The Guardian

• “Imagine a street where there are 100 people living, everybody sleeps terribly for three nights because of a heatwave and the next day they’re unproductive. That’s your investment in trees for the whole year.” — Sandra Phlippen, ABN Amro

The Guardian

• “Most of the time we spend indoors, even on very beautiful, sunny days, because we’re working or we’re sleeping, when we also recover from heatwaves,” — Bert Blocken, Heriot-Watt University

The Guardian

Researchers will continue trialling fake trees, shadow art, and mobile “jungle blocks” to assess their cooling impact on pavements and pedestrians throughout the summer.

The Guardian