Dr. rer. nat. Denise Heike Böhnke

Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM)
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Geb. 435
D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen

Cities facing climate change

I conduct research on the impacts of climate change in cities and on how urban spaces can be designed to be climate-resilient, adaptable, and livable. My particular interest lies at the interface between science, planning, and municipal practice, aiming to translate insights from climate adaptation research into concrete strategies and decision-making processes.

Currently, the risks associated with climate change are increasingly becoming the focus of my work. Within the context of CEDIM, my research centers on the identification, assessment, and integration—both in planning and at the societal level—of climate-induced risks and vulnerabilities of urban systems, with the goal of making climate risks transparent and actionable.

Research areas:

Climate adaptation and resilience strategies in urban environments
Urban climatology and biometeorology (urban heat islands, heat waves, microclimate)
Urban ecosystem services provided by green infrastructure and their integration in planning and evaluation
Urban ecology, quality of stay, and the use of public spaces
Climate risks and approaches to risk reduction

Connecting research and practice:

VDI Guideline 3787 “Urban Development under Climate Change”: member of the expert committee, spokesperson for the chapter “Measures”
Certified Climate Adaptation Manager: IFPRO training 2025/26
Contract research for the Hessian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport, Housing and Rural Development on the “Development of planning tools for climate mitigation and adaptation in spatial planning” using remote sensing. The project resulted in a wide range of thematic maps and geospatial data related to climate mitigation and adaptation (IPF, IÖR) as well as spatially detailed allocations of measure potentials for municipal climate adaptation (D. Böhnke, IÖR).
Numerous expert lectures on “Cities in Climate Change” and “Municipal Climate Adaptation”—ranging from university teaching and keynote presentations at transdisciplinary conferences to invited talks for municipalities.

KIT projects

Officer for Urban Research at KIT (2021–2024)

The aim was, among other things, to strengthen the integration and visibility of the diverse and high level of expertise of KIT researchers in urban research and to develop a joint exchange platform

NaMaRes – Resource Management in Neighborhoods in the Context of Sustainable Urban Development, KIT-AGW (2019–2021)

Transdisciplinary project with four institutes at KIT (AGW, IIP, FIWI, CMM), the city of Karlsruhe, Smart Geomatics GmbH, and the planning and communications office Sippl.Buff, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Objective: Development of a web tool for the physical description and evaluation of urban neighborhoods with regard to resources (water, land, material flows, open and green spaces, ecosystem services), taking into account stakeholders, options for action, and conflicting goals.

KomKlim: Implementation of municipal climate adaptation in urban land-use planning in the pilot project for the development of the Spinelli Barracks / Grünzug Nordost site in Mannheim (2017–2018), KIT-IfR

Transdisciplinary project between the Institute for Regional Science, the Institute for Applied Geosciences, and the City Administration of Mannheim, funded by the State Agency for the Environment Baden-Württemberg (LUBW).
Objective: Involvement of scientists in an ongoing urban land-use planning process as climate experts/adaptation managers; development of a climate adaptation concept for the new 20-hectare district (heat/heavy rain/ventilation) in accordance with legal requirements; incorporation of the measures into the planning; investigation of opportunities and obstacles.

Technical, economic, social, and political consequences of dismantling a nuclear power plant at the regional and local level (2016), KIT-IfGG

Transdisciplinary project between the KIT Institutes for Geography and Geoecology (IfGG) and for Technology and Management in Civil Engineering (TMB) as well as four nuclear power plant sites in southwestern Germany, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Objective: To develop a model for future decommissioning that enables the prediction of possible economic and social impacts on the population and industry.

Investigation of the ecology of ticks as disease vectors in relation to habitat, land use, host animals, and climate (2012–2016), KIT-IfGG

Transdisciplinary project between the KIT Institute for Geography and Geoecology (IfGG), the Zoological Institute, and the Baden-Württemberg State Health Office, funded by the BWPLUS program of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate, and Energy and by the KIT Graduate School for Climate and Environment (GRACE).
The study investigated the distribution of the castor bean tick in various forests in Baden-Württemberg with the aim of identifying particularly affected habitats and underlying mechanisms.
Doctoral thesis

Teaching

Courses and teaching projects

Risk-oriented Spatial Planning, lecture (IfR, winter term 2025/26)
Mapping Field Course in Physical Geography (IfGG, winter term 2024/25, summer term 2025)
Resilience at the Local Level, seminar (IfR, winter term 2024/25)
Climate Urban Transition (IfR, summer term 2024/25)
Paradigms of Risk-oriented Spatial Planning, lecture (IfR, winter term 2023/24)
Paradigms of Risk-oriented Spatial Planning, lecture (IfR, summer term 2023)
Urban Ecology (IfGG) – lecture, practical course, and seminar (2018–2022)
University partnership KATHES – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

Invited lectures

EPICUR Hubs Transformative Cities – Joint Lecture Series. Böhnke: The challenge to adapt Cities to climate change (22.01.2026)
CNUTR (Competence Network of Urban Transformation and Resilience) – City in Focus Lecture Series. Böhnke: The challenge to adapt Cities to climate change (08.12.2025)
DKKV Lunchtalk with CEDIM, “RISK | RESILIENCE | RESPONSE.” Böhnke: Heat in cities – how well can we prepare? (03.11.2025)
EPICUR Hubs Transformative Cities – Joint Lecture Series. Böhnke: The challenge to adapt Cities to climate change (27.05.2025)

Supervised theses

(since 2019)

Laura Winkler (2026): Preparation of an emergency plan “Extreme heat” – Real-world example Offenburg considering the existing climate adaptation concept. Master’s thesis.
Lisa Althoff (2026): Mow instead of mower! Sheep grazing as sustainable grassland management – potentials and challenges using a selected example in the city area of Karlsruhe. Bachelor’s thesis.
Nico Lamneck (2025): Analysis and evaluation of the climate resilience of urban spaces using the city of Karlsruhe – with a focus on climate protection. Master’s thesis.
Marina Klaus (2022): Systematization and value assessment of the diverse ecosystem services provided by urban greenery. Master’s thesis.
Ronja Becker (2022): Contribution of settlement areas to the nutritional diversity of insects. Master’s thesis.
Alice Krehl (2022): Further development of ecosystem service indicators for decision support in urban district development. Master’s thesis.
Carolin Reichert (2022): Implementation of sustainable urban development in land-use plans – historical development as well as current and future challenges. Master’s thesis.
Kirke Jerutka (2020): Structural and functional diversity of city squares – an assessment concept. Bachelor’s thesis.
Rebekka Mandler (2020): Development of an urban climatological model to analyze cold air flows and the urban heat island using the example of the city center East in Karlsruhe. Master’s thesis.
Yannis Geiger (2019): Modeling urban climatological impacts of building projects on the KIT Campus South and adjacent urban areas. Master’s thesis.
Jessica Bach (2019): Heat exposure and the influence of environmental parameters of Lidellplatz in Karlsruhe’s city center on the human bioclimate. Master’s thesis.
Alice Krehl (2019): Inventory of ecosystem services in the inner city East of Karlsruhe. Bachelor’s thesis.

Publications & Presentations

2025

Boehnke, D.
Municipal planning challenges in adapting to heat and the role of practical guidelines
2025. npj Climate Action, 4 (1), 101. doi:10.1038/s44168-025-00285-8

Böhnke, D. H.; Walter, M. E.
Übersicht der Maßnahmentypen zur Klimaanpassung in der räumlichen Gesamtplanung mittels Fernerkundung_Juni-2025
2025, July 2. doi:10.35097/fsrxsf86r6v7m7vh

Böhnke, D. H.; Walter, M. E.
Maßnahmensammlung zur kommunalen Klimaanpassung
2025, May 20. doi:10.35097/hskt7ytp75d90269

Böhnke, D. H.; Walter, M. E.
Maßnahmensammlung zur kommunalen Klimaanpassung (Vorläufige Version)
2025, April 4. doi:10.35097/05e5w5ntpmz5rvvb

Gallacher, C.; Boehnke, D.
Correction to: Pedestrian thermal comfort mapping for evidence-based urban planning; an interdisciplinary and user-friendly mobile approach for the case study of Dresden, Germany
2025. International Journal of Biometeorology, 69 (11), 2913. doi:10.1007/s00484-025-02857-z

Gallacher, C.; Boehnke, D.
Pedestrian thermal comfort mapping for evidence-based urban planning; an interdisciplinary and user-friendly mobile approach for the case study of Dresden, Germany
2025. International Journal of Biometeorology, 69 (11), 2895–2912. doi:10.1007/s00484-024-02830-2

Gkirmpas, P.; Tsegas, G.; Boehnke, D.; Vlachokostas, C.; Moussiopoulos, N.
Temperature Prediction at Street Scale During a Heat Wave Using Random Forest
2025. Atmosphere, 16 (7), Art.-Nr.: 877. doi:10.3390/atmos16070877

Keller, S.; Benz, S.; Jehling, M.; Böhnke, D.; Hager, G.; Wursthorn, S.; Gallacher, C.; Reiter, D.; Hänchen, L.; Kistner, F.; Krikau, S.; Schenk, A.; Hinz, S.
Entwicklung von Planungshilfen für Klimaschutz und Klimaanpassung in der räumlichen Gesamtplanung mittels Fernerkundung - Abschlussbericht
2025. Hessisches Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Energie, Verkehr, Wohnen und ländlichen Raum. doi:10.5445/IR/1000182412

Mühr, B.; Sperka, C.; Böhnke, D. H.; Gramlich, K.; Mohr, S.; Kunz, M.
CEDIM Forensic Disaster Analysis (FDA) Group: Hurricane MELISSA (Jamaica, Haiti & Cuba, October 2025)
2025. doi:10.5445/IR/1000186554

2024

Böhnke, D. H.; Benz, S. A.; Gallacher, C.; Keller, S.; Krikau, S.; Jehling, M.
Maßnahmen kommunaler Klimaanpassung - von Optionen zur räumlichen Verortung
2024, June 11. 16. Dresdner Flächennutzungssymposium (DFNS 2024), Dresden, Germany, June 11–12, 2024

Böhnke, D. H.
Einblicke in die Herausforderungen kommunaler Klimaanpassung in der Bauleitplanung
2024, March 19. 10. BIOMET-Tagung (2024), Offenbach, Germany, March 19–21, 2024

Gallacher, C.; Benz, S.; Boehnke, D.; Jehling, M.
A collaborative approach for the identification of thermal hot-spots: from remote sensing data to urban planning interventions
2024. AGILE: GIScience Series, 5, Art.-Nr.: 23. doi:10.5194/agile-giss-5-23-2024

2023

Boehnke, D.; Jehling, M.; Vogt, J.
What hinders climate adaptation? Approaching barriers in municipal land use planning through participant observation
2023. Land Use Policy, 132, Art.-Nr.: 106786. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106786

Böhnke, D.
Lebensraum Stadt - Zukunft vor der eigenen Haustür!
2023, August 15. KIT Kinder-Uni (2023), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, August 1–17, 2023

Krehl, A.; Boehnke, D.; Norra, S.
NaMaRes Leitfaden – Ressourceneffizienz in der Quartiersentwicklung : Handlungsfeld Ökosystemleistungen
2023. doi:10.5445/IR/1000158354

Naber, E.; Volk, R.; Schultmann, F.; Krehl, A.; Böhnke, D. H.; Norra, S.; Ehbrecht, A.; Schuhmann, R.
Ergebnisbericht zu den Arbeitspaketen 7, 8 und 10 des Forschungsprojekts NaMaRes
2023. doi:10.5445/IR/1000158422

Schäfer, A.; Mühr, B.; Kaiser, F.; Böhnke, D. H.; Mohr, S.; Kunz, M.
CEDIM Forensic Disaster Analysis (FDA) Group: Untersuchung der globalen Hitzewelle im Jahr 2023
2023. doi:10.5445/IR/1000161235

Volk, R.; Naber, E.; Schultmann, F.; Lützkendorf, T.; Mörmann, K.; Norra, S.; Böhnke, D.; Krehl, A.; Schuhmann, R.; Ehbrecht, A.; Beck, T.; Tomaschewski, P.; Hackenbruch, J.; Rosenberg, S.; Hacker, N.
Bewertung der Ökologie, Wirtschaftlichkeit und sozialen Effekte von ressourceneffizienzsteigernden Maßnahmen auf Quartiersebene – von der volkswirtschaftlichen zur akteursspezifischen Perspektive (NaMaRes): Schlussbericht des Forschungsvorhabens
2023. KIT Scientific Publishing. doi:10.5445/KSP/1000157235

2022

Boehnke, D.; Krehl, A.; Mörmann, K.; Volk, R.; Lützkendorf, T.; Naber, E.; Becker, R.; Norra, S.
Mapping Urban Green and Its Ecosystem Services at Microscale—A Methodological Approach for Climate Adaptation and Biodiversity
2022. Sustainability, 14 (15), Art.-Nr.: 9029. doi:10.3390/su14159029

Boehnke, D.; Tsegas, G.; Moussiopoulos, N.
Assimilating data from local thermal measurements in urban-scale flow and dispersion modelling
2022, June 29. 13th International Conference on Air Quality - Science and Application (2022), Thessaloniki, Greece, June 27–July 1, 2022

Böhnke, D.
Umsetzung wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse in stadtplanerisches Handeln
2022, June 29. 6. Impulsvortrag Klimafitte Kommunen: Mikroklima, Hitzestau und Starkniederschläge im Fokus – Kommunen mit blau-grüner Infrastruktur klimafit machen (2022), Stuttgart, Germany, June 29, 2022

Böhnke, D.
Impulsreferat „Klimafreundliche Stadt“
2022, November 12. Klausurtagung Stadt Herbolzheim (2022), Herbolzheim, Germany, November 12, 2022

Naber, E.; Volk, R.; Mörmann, K.; Boehnke, D.; Lützkendorf, T.; Schultmann, F.
Namares—A Surface Inventory and Intervention Assessment Model for Urban Resource Management
2022. Sustainability, 14 (14), Artkl.Nr.: 8485. doi:10.3390/su14148485

2021

Boehnke, D.
Karlsruhe schwitzt: Hitzesommer in der Innenstadt und wie Forschung da helfen kann
2021, March 8. Wissenschaftskommunikation im Projekt “Und was machst du so? (2021), Online, March 8, 2021

Boehnke, D.
The many faces of the factor temperature and its effects on individuals and populations
2021. 14th International Symposium on Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases (2021), Online, März 24-26, 2021

Boehnke, D.
Exploring the Thermal Microcosms at the Forest Floor : A Case Study of a Temperate Forest
2021. Atmosphere, 12 (4), Art.-Nr. 503. doi:10.3390/atmos12040503

Böhnke, D.; Norra, S.
Stadtquartiere im Wandel, Kommunales Niederschlagsmanagement in Bestand und Neubau – Erkenntnisse praxisnaher Forschung
2021. Transforming cities, (3), 34–39

Böhnke, D.; Norra, S.; Krehl, A.; Becker, R.; Naber, E.; Volk, R.
Kartierung und Bewertung von Grünbeständen und deren Ökosystemleistungen in privaten Innenhöfen – Erkenntnisse einer quartierbezogenen Erhebung
2021, June 29. Dresdner Flächennutzungssymposium (DFNS 2021), Dresden, Germany, June 28–29, 2021

Böhnke, D.; Volk, R.; Lützkendorf, T.; Naber, E.; Krehl, A.; Becker, R.; Norra, S.
Grünbestände in privaten Innenhöfen und deren Ökosystemleistungen im Stadtquartier: Erkenntnisse einer quartiersweiten Erhebung in Karlsruhe
2021. Flächennutzungsmonitoring XIII. Hrsg.: G. Meinel, 149–157, Rhombos-Verlag. doi:10.26084/13dfns-p014

Volk, R.; Naber, E.; Lützkendorf, T.; Böhnke, D.; Mörmann, K.; Schultmann, F.; Norra, S.
Identifikation und Bewertung von Entsiegelungspotenzialen als Beitrag zur nachhaltigen Quartiersentwicklung: Zwischenergebnisse aus NaMaRes
2021. Flächennutzungsmonitoring XIII. Hrsg.: G. Meinel, 209–219, Rhombos-Verlag. doi:10.26084/13dfns-p019

2020

Boehnke, D.; Jerutka, K.
Stadtplätze: Zur Bewertung der Aufenthaltsqualität von urbanen Räumen
2020. Stadt und Raum, (6), 330–335

Boehnke, D.
Umsetzung der Klimaanpassung in die Bauleitplanung – Erkenntnisse einer Pilotstudie
2020, February. 5. Konferenz "Räume neu denken - Planung in einer Welt im Wandel" (2020), Dortmund, Germany, February 17–18, 2020

Volk, R.; Lützkendorf, T.; Schambelon, S.; Naber, E.; Mörmann, K.; Böhnke, D.; Norra, S.; Schuhmann, R.; Ehbrecht, A.; Balouktsi, M.; Schultmann, F.
Stakeholder-specific assessment of environmental, economic and social effects of resource-efficiency measures in urban districts - first results
2020. IOP conference series / Earth and environmental science, 588, Art.-Nr.: 052036. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/588/5/052036

Volk, R.; Lützkendorf, T.; Schambelon, S.; Naber, E.; Mörmann, K.; Böhnke, D.; Norra, S.; Schuhmann, R.; Ehbrecht, A.; Balouktsi, M.; Schultmann, F.
NaMaRes: Stakeholder-specific assessment of resource-efficiency measures in urban districts - first results
2020, June. Beyond - World Sustainable Built Environment Conference (2020), Online, November 2–4, 2020

2019

Boehnke, D.
Environmental and Health Impacts in Cities
2019, September. GRACE Sommerschule - Saubere Energie und Nachhaltigkeit (Summer School - Clean Energy and Sustainability) (2019), Possidi, September 2–6, 2019

Boehnke, D.; Körner, F.; Greuloch, W.
Möglichkeiten und Hemmnisse der kommunalen Klimawandelanpassung in RLP
2019, October 29. Klimawandelanpassung in Kommunen - Netzwerktreffen rheinland-pfälzischer Kommunen und Landkreise (2019), Annweiler am Trifels, Germany, October 29, 2019

Böhnke, D.
Risiko einer FSME-Infektion infolge individueller Exposition und alimentärer Übertragung
2019. FSME in Deutschland. Stand der Wissenschaft. Hrsg.: Franz Rubel, Julia Schiffner-Rohe, 137–150, Deutscher Wissenschaftsverlag

Petney, T.; Littvin, N.; Böhnke, D.; Obiegala, A.; Schaeffer, M.; Muders, S.; Pfäffle, M.; Pfeffer, M.
Freilandstudien zu Kleinsäugern und Zecken
2019. FSME in Deutschland. Stand der Wissenschaft. Hrsg.: Franz Rubel, Julia Schiffner-Rohe, Julia, 81–94, Deutscher Wissenschaftsverlag

2018

Boehnke, D.
Die Bedeutung des Bodens für Klimaanpassungsmaßnahmen in Städten in Hinblick auf die Stadtplanung
2018. 2. Symposium "Wahrnehmung und Bewertung von Böden in der Gesellschaft", Leipzig, 11.-12.10.2018, DBG

Boehnke, D.
Forest microclimate – a rarely measured habitat
2018, November. Universidade Federal do Paraná (2018), Curitiba, Brazil, November 2, 2018

Böhnke, D. H.; Norra, S.; Petney, T. N.; Gebhardt, R.
Die Wirkung meteorologischer Faktoren auf die Populationsdynamik von Ixodes ricinus : Methodische Erkenntnisse und Problemanalyse
2018, March 12. 4. Süddeutscher Zeckenkongress (2018), Stuttgart, Germany, March 12–14, 2018

Vogt, J.; Boehnke, D.; Norra, S.
KomKlim : Umsetzung der kommunalen Klimaanpassung in die Bauleitplanung im Pilotprojekt der Entwicklung des Geländes der Spinelli Barracks / Grünzug Nordost in Mannheim
2018. doi:10.5445/IR/1000170877

Publications & Presentations (focus: tick research)

2017

Gentes, S.; Kramer, C.; Böhnke, D.; Ehrlich, S.; Emami-Far, H.; Kretz, S.; Krauss, C.-O.; Weber, M.
Technische, wirtschaftliche, soziale und politische Folgen durch den Rückbau eines Kernkraftwerks auf regionaler und lokaler Ebene
2017. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)

Boehnke, D.; Gebhardt, R.; Petney, T.; Norra, S.
On the complexity of measuring forests microclimate and interpreting its relevance in habitat ecology : The example of

ticks
2017. Parasites & vectors, 10 (1), Art.Nr. 549. doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2498-5

2016

Böhnke, D. H.; Brugger, K.; Rubel, F.; Petney, T. N.; Oehme, R.; Norra, S.
Temperaturbedingte Verbreitung und – grenzen von Ixodes ricinus in Baden-Württemberg
2016, March 15. 3. Süddeutscher Zeckenkongress (2016), Stuttgart, Germany, March 14–16, 2016

Brugger, K.; Boehnke, D.; Petney, T.; Dobler, G.; Pfeffer, M.; Silaghi, C.; Schaub, G. A.; Pinior, B.; Dautel, H.; Kahl, O.; Pfister, K.; Süss, J.; Rubel, F.
A Density Map of the Tick-Borne Encephalitis and Lyme Borreliosis Vector Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) for Germany
2016. Journal of medical entomology, 53 (6), 1292–1302. doi:10.1093/jme/tjw116

Böhnke, D. H.
Habitat ecology and microclimatic influences on the distribution of Ixodes ricinus ticks in Baden-Württemberg. PhD dissertation
2016. Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). doi:10.5445/IR/1000061789

2015

Boehnke, D.; Brugger, K.; Pfäffle, M.; Sebastian, P.; Norra, S.; Petney, T.; Oehme, R.; Littwin, N.; Lebl, K.; Raith, J.; Walter, M.; Gebhardt, R.; Rubel, F.
Estimating Ixodes ricinus densities on the landscape scale
2015. International journal of health geographics, 14 (1), 23 S. doi:10.1186/s12942-015-0015-7