Mongabay · Natuur

Green Spaces Offer Significant Urban Cooling, Study Finds

A new study focusing on Guildford, England, reveals that various types of green-blue infrastructure (GBI), including woodlands, grasslands, and rivers, can significantly reduce urban temperatures, especially during extreme heat events. These natural features create cooler microclimates, offering a vital strategy for urban planners to mitigate heat exposure.

The research examined six GBI sites—woodland, grassland, lakeside, vegetated green wall, pocket park, and riverside—comparing their cooling effects to adjacent built-up areas. Sensors recorded temperatures over two years, capturing both normal conditions and extreme heat events, supplemented by satellite data.

All GBI sites were found to be 1.81-2.49°C cooler than their built-up counterparts. During extreme heat, the cooling effect was more pronounced, with the woodland site being over 6°C cooler on the hottest days. The riverside and pocket park showed a 3.5°C reduction, while the green wall had the least cooling impact.

Experts note that the cooling provided by green spaces varies based on design, scale, surrounding environment, and weather conditions, emphasizing that there isn't a one-size-fits-all metric for their cooling capacity. The study's findings, while based on single examples of each GBI type, highlight the need to strategically design cities for effective cooling where and when it's most needed, particularly as global temperatures rise and the UN warns of surpassing climate targets.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.