Tarragona · 1.834 inhabitants · 700 buildings analysed one by one

La Riera de GaiàClimate risk in its neighbourhoods, streets and rivers, today and in 2050

We have scored the climate risk of the 700 buildings in La Riera de Gaià using Cadastre data, satellite imagery and climate projections, and added it up by area, street and watercourse. The clearest change comes at night: from 35 to 74 tropical nights a year by 2050.

35→74tropical nights a year in a typical building, today and by 2050
35%of homes at high or very high heat risk by 2050
56homes less than 100 m from Riu Gaià
At a glance

Where the risk lies by 2050

LowMediumHighVery highRivers and streams

Level of the highest hazard in each 250 m area by 2050: flooding, heat, wildfire, wind or ground movement.

Tropical nights a year in a typical building

La Riera de Gaià compared with Spain

  • Tropical nights a year, 2050: 87 nights
    higher than 94 % of municipalities
  • Average summer maximum, 2050: 32,1 °C
    lower than 55 % of municipalities
  • Flood-prone area (100-year): 9,8%
    higher than 91 % of municipalities
  • Area burnt 2016-2026: 0,0%
    lower than 64 % of municipalities
  • Water stress 2050 (0-5): 5,0
    higher than 82 % of municipalities

Position among the 8.217 municipalities: further right means more risk. These are figures for the municipality as a whole, the same for everyone; they may differ from those for the typical building. Compare with others →

What stands out

What we found in La Riera de Gaià

It comes from matching each building with its neighbourhood, its street, the nearest watercourse and its surroundings.

1

From 35 to 74 tropical nights a year

35→74 nights

In a typical building in La Riera de Gaià, nights when the temperature stays at or above 20 °C would rise from 35 a year (1991-2020) to about 74 by 2050. For this reason, 100 % of homes would be at a high or very high level.

Median of the buildings. Intermediate-to-high emissions scenario (SSP3-7.0).

2

236 homes at very high wildfire risk

222 buildings

These are 222 buildings right next to vegetation that can burn. Of these, one is a block of flats with 23 homes, where evacuation is harder.

  • Carrer de la Riera: 23

Proximity to woodland and to burnt areas (ESA WorldCover, EFFIS). It does not measure the state of the vegetation or any firebreaks.

3

Where there are fewer trees, 2,3 °C hotter

2,3 °C

Around homes with less than 2 % tree cover, the surface in summer is 0,4 °C above the median for La Riera de Gaià; with more than 40 % tree cover, 1,9 °C below. 53 homes are in surroundings with almost no trees.

Ground surface temperature (Landsat), not air temperature. More trees usually go with less asphalt and lower density: this is a correlation, not a measure of the effect of planting trees.

4

56 in every 100 buildings were built before 1980

56 %

They were built before the first thermal insulation standard (1979). With 74 tropical nights a year by 2050, they will hold the most heat at night and have the most to gain from a retrofit.

Year of construction from the Cadastre.

Six hazards

How many homes are at high risk, today and in 2050

The 834 homes in La Riera de Gaià by the level of their building. Tap a hazard to see it on the map.

LowMediumHighVery high
What can be done

For the town council and for residents

For the town council and its technical staff

  • Climate shelters, and late-afternoon and evening opening hours at libraries and community centres in the areas with the most tropical nights.
  • Review with the river basin authority the watercourses with no official mapping that run next to homes, and keep them clear.
  • Firebreaks and evacuation routes in the streets that border woodland.
  • Download the tables by area, neighbourhood, street and watercourse (Data tab) to cross-check them with urban planning.

For residents

  • Air your home in the early hours, shade west-facing walls from the sun and ask about grants to insulate the roof.
  • If you live on a ground floor or have a garage next to a watercourse, have a plan: where to go upstairs, what to switch off and how to hear about warnings.
  • Keep the strip around your house clear of dry vegetation and know both ways out of your street.
  • Look up your building: the free report gives its level for each hazard, and the Climate Note gives the full detail.

Look up your building