How can cultural heritage and traditional practices help cities adapt to extreme heat?
A new video from the PALIMPSEST Landscape Pilot and the SONE Project explores how traditional knowledge and digital innovation are coming together in Jerez de la Frontera to imagine cooler and more resilient urban spaces.
Known for its flamenco heritage, vineyards, and the vibrant celebrations of the Zambombas, Jerez is now also facing the growing impacts of climate change. During the summer of 2025, temperatures reached a record-breaking 45.8°C, intensifying the need for sustainable and community-based climate solutions.
Inspired by the city’s historical relationship with vines and shaded streets, the PALIMPSEST Landscape Pilot introduces vine canopies as symbolic cooling infrastructures capable of reducing temperatures by up to 14°C during extreme heat events.
I-SENSE Group of ICCS along with the Jerez Landscape Pilot curators Nomad Garden, developed an Augmented Reality campaign on the CirculAR app. The AR application allows users to interact with the developed climate adaptation solutions in a playful and immersive way.
Through CirculAR, users can place digital vine canopies and ceramic cooling devices anywhere in the urban environment, exploring their shape, shade, and cooling potential while reimagining public space for a warmer future.
By combining cultural memory, landscape knowledge, and emerging technologies, CirculAR invites citizens to experience how heritage can become an active tool for climate resilience.
Check out CirculAR and the Jerez de la Frontera campaign and download CirculAR on Google Play and the App Store!
Published on: May 29, 2026
