A Study of the Urban Heat Island Mitigation Strategies: The Case of Two Cities

Abstract

Recent studies in urban environment has suggested a new term defined as the Urban Heat Island abbreviated as (UHI) which technically refers to the higher levels of temperature in comparison to surrounding environment due to land transformation and construction of man-made products resulting in many subsequent effects such as transforming the thermal comfort of urban area occupants and etc.. Since the discovery of the phenomenon, many scholars had studied the effects of the UHI and how it can be mitigated. Through different strategies implemented by governing bodies of cities are the strategies which aim to reduce the solar gain by the built environment through different techniques. One of these strategies is to reduce the solar radiation gain by these areas and focuses on increasing green spaces in the cities through parks, roofs, streets and etc.. This study reviews two successful example of these cities - London and New York City- to extract the underlying strategies that are implemented by these cities’ governing bodies. Results shows microclimates offered by parks (green spaces), plants and vegetation play a significant role in achieving this goal and on the other turning the surfaces albedo to a higher level through making them brighter can be two successful strategy in reducing the Urban Heat Islands.