Evaluating the cooling potential of green walls and green roofs in Central European cities

Abstract

Incorporating green infrastructure such as green walls and green roofs as nature-based solutions for the urban environment has the potential to mitigate climate change, enhance climate resilience, increase urban circularity and biodiversity, reduce urban heat island (UHI) and surface urban heat island (SUHI) intensities, reduce energy consumption in buildings, improve air quality, retain rainwater, and enhance human outdoor thermal comfort, health and well-being. In a bilateral project between Serbia and Austria, measurements of the cooling potential of green walls and green roofs are carried out in Novi Sad (Serbia) and Vienna (Austria). The obtained results indicate the cooling potential of these types of nature-based solutions that can provide a more comfortable climate and outdoor thermal comfort conditions in urban areas. Local temperature reductions near green infrastructure (compared to reference locations) were up to 2-3 °C in both cities. However, the cooling intensity depends on the season, time of day, type of green infrastructure, and the availability and type of water used for irrigation of green infrastructure. The obtained results can be used to develop guidelines for green infrastructure design and can be provided to interested stakeholders in their pursuit to create sustainable, resilient, circular, and climate-neutral cities in the future.Acknowledgment: This research was supported by the bilateral project between Serbia and Austria Water demand of Vertical Greening Systems mitigating Urban Heat Islands (project no. 337-00-577/2021-09/32).