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The residents of Annelinn are ready to face the summer heat 

Tartu City Government Press Release

Photo: Kadri-Linda Olesk

156 residents from 14 apartment buildings participated in the study, i.e. every fifth home from the target area. This kind of active participation shows that the residents of Annelinn care about their living environment and would like to have a say in developing their district.

The survey reveals that people enjoy living in Annelinn, but they feel that the district is not well adapted to climate change and modern needs.

One of the most pressing issues are summer heatwaves with the overheating of apartments becoming a problem for the residents. 47% of the respondents have purchased a cooling or ventilation device to mitigate heat and 43% have made changes in their home, such as installed thicker curtains or other shading. Additionally, 56% of residents feel the impact of extreme climate conditions in their electricity and heating bills.

The residents are not only impacted by hot summers. When assessing their surrounding living environment, respondents also identified the lack of shaded areas and limited leisure opportunities as the biggest shortcomings. In Annelinn, there is a demand for more greenery, especially tall vegetation and trees, that would provide shade for both buildings and sidewalks. People would also like comfortable seating areas with shelters that protect from both rain and summer heat, as well as multifunctional spaces where people of all ages could spend time.

The study also shows that people are willing to contribute to improving their neighborhood. 40% of respondents would like to help with planting and one-third would gladly take part in community clean-ups.

The barriers to participation are not a lack of interest, but practical reasons: lack of time (54%) and information on how and where to contribute (36%).

As part of the study, young people from Annelinn secondary schools were also surveyed, with 41 respondents. Overall, the results of the youth survey were similar to those of the adult residents: Young people also perceive the summer heat as intense, and they are likewise bothered by flooding following heavy rains.

However, young people are even more critical than adults regarding Annelinn’s public space. They rated their sense of safety at 5.1 out of 10 (compared to 7.7 among adults) and the appearance of courtyards and outdoor areas at 4.5 (adults: 5.5). Young respondents place a very high value on greenery and natural diversity in outdoor spaces, and more than any other group, they expressed a desire for water features in their neighborhood (44%). In open-ended responses, young people frequently mentioned the poor appearance of the district, including unrenovated apartment buildings and outdated infrastructure.

The organizers of the study will reward the most active apartment association that responded to the survey with a gift card, and ten €50 gift cards will also be raffled among respondents. The research team will contact the winners.

The goal of the ClimaGen project is to redesign the surroundings of the apartment buildings at Kaunase puiestee 9–20 in a way that addresses multiple issues at once. A greener and more shaded outdoor space will help mitigate the effects of heatwaves, reduce summer overheating, be more resilient to flooding, and at the same time create a more pleasant space where neighbors can meet and spend time together.

The ClimaGen project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe, Innovation Actions programme under Grant Agreement No. 101139637. The local project partners are Tartu city government, the Institute of Baltic Studies and TalTech.

Brief summary of the study

More information on the project: https://tartu.ee/climagen (in Estonian)

For more information on the study, contact Kirill Jurkov from the Institute of Baltic Studies, [email protected]

Last changed 13.05.2026