🛠️ Tools for Tomorrow: NHSAP Training from the Province of Antwerp Showcased in Saint-Omer, France.

Saint-Omer, France – 9 October 2025

During the recent Cool Neighbourhoods conference, held at the Moulin à Café Theatre in Saint-Omer, Claire Koreman from the Province of Antwerp delivered one of the event’s most compelling and practical presentations: a deep dive into the Neighbourhood Heat Stress Action Plan (NHSAP) training tools.

The Cool Neighbourhoods Partnership

These innovative resources are part of the Cool Neighbourhoods project, supported by Interreg North-West Europe, which aims to futureproof neighbourhoods through climate adaptation, heat mitigation, and liveability improvements. The NHSAP toolkit is fast becoming a flagship output of the project—relevant, replicable, and ready for use by cities and towns across Europe.

What is the NHSAP?

The Neighbourhood Heat Stress Action Plan (NHSAP) is a structured methodology that supports municipalities, planners, and community groups to:

• Identify local risks related to urban heat and climate change
• Map heat stress hotspots using citizen science and sensor data
• Engage residents and stakeholders in shaping local solutions
• Design targeted interventions such as shading, greening, and water retention
• Monitor progress and adapt over time using clear indicators

Claire Koreman outlined how the Province of Antwerp piloted the NHSAP framework in neighbourhoods across the region—demonstrating both its flexibility and its ability to engage communities while delivering measurable environmental benefits.

Claire Koreman Province of Antwerp, presenting NHSAP Training.

Why These Tools Matter

Claire’s session, titled “The Heat is On: Understand to Act”, showcased the training materials that are currently being rolled out to other Cool Neighbourhoods partners. These tools include:

• Training modules for municipal staff and planners
• Community engagement templates for workshops and co-design
• Step-by-step action planning guides
• Monitoring dashboards aligned with the Cool Neighbourhoods Liveability Index

The presentation not only outlined how the NHSAP works in practice but also made clear that these tools are:
✔️ Open-access
✔️ Highly adaptable to both small towns and urban centres
✔️ Replicable across North-West Europe and beyond

“We don’t want to keep these tools to ourselves,” Claire noted.
“They’re designed to be shared, adapted, and used wherever urban heat is a concern.”

Who Can Use the NHSAP?

These tools are ideal for:

• Local and regional governments developing climate adaptation strategies
• Urban planning and landscape architecture teams
• Housing associations and neighbourhood groups
• NGOs and social enterprises working on sustainability or public health
• EU-funded projects seeking best practices in community-led climate planning

By combining data, design, and dialogue, the NHSAP approach equips local actors to take practical, scalable steps toward climate resilience. 

What’s Next?

Following its success in Antwerp and its presentation in Saint-Omer, the NHSAP training materials are now being finalised for wider distribution. In the coming months, the Cool Neighbourhoods project will:

• Publish the training toolkit online
• Include case studies from pilot areas
• Offer peer training opportunities for municipalities across Europe
• Host replication workshops as part of its capitalisation efforts

Interested in bringing NHSAP tools to your city or project?
Stay tuned via the Cool Neighbourhoods website or follow us on LinkedIn to access materials and upcoming training sessions.

Let’s build cooler, greener, more liveable neighbourhoods—together.