Climate shelters as a social response to heat and climate illiteracy: Evidence from a 2025 Pilot in Venice

Catarina Midões (), Anna Pistorio, Roberta Stevenato, Victoire Ambeza, Roberto Cabras, Antonella Mazzone and Enrica De Cian
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Catarina Midões: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice; CMCC Foundation – Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change
Anna Pistorio: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Roberta Stevenato: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Victoire Ambeza: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Roberto Cabras: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Antonella Mazzone: University of Bristol; NICHE Centre for Environmental Humanities
Enrica De Cian: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice; CMCC Foundation – Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change; NICHE Centre for Environmental Humanities

No 2026: 09, Working Papers from Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari"

Abstract: Climate shelters contribute to heat resilience directly, as cool spaces, and indirectly, as community venues for information provision. In a 2025 pilot project in Venice, Italy, we analyse, through surveys and interviews, four possible bottlenecks to shelter use: heat risk perception, awareness of shelters, accessibility, and motivation. We test, through a treatment-control experiment, the impact of information provision in shelters. We find that awareness of shelters is the easiest bottleneck to address. Accessibility hinges on funding and governance constraints. Motivation is context and place driven: green, outdoor, spaces are the most popular, but less well prepared. Risk perception is a crucial policy target, since it drives use and adoption of protective behaviours. Yet, it is sticky: individuals, particularly the elderly, underestimate risk. Information provision did not change risk perception. It, however, increased awareness of shelters and adaptation knowledge. Peer effects and seamless integration of events within community centers promote effectiveness.

Keywords: Climate Change; Public Policy; Urban Adaptation; Public Opinion; Subjective health outcomes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D91 I18 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 44 pages
Date: 2026
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