Urban greening archetypes at the European scale

Cynthia Houmani,Silvia Coccolo,Jean Louis Scartezzini,Ismaël Krafess,A.T Dasun Perera,Dasaraden Mauree,Nahid Mohajeri

doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1343/1/012024

Cynthia Houmani, Silvia Coccolo + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1343/1/012024

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Abstract

Urban greening has great ecological, social and economic benefits for the built environment. It also has significant impacts on the microclimate and urban energy balance. In this study, we quantify the impacts of urban greening on the ground surface temperatures and the microclimate (e.g. the air temperature and the wind speed variation) as well as the cooling demand at the European scale. Specific archetypes for seventeen European cities are generated based on each city’s geometrical and statistical data. Additionally, several greening scenarios are proposed. The results show the positive effects of urban greening on mitigating rising ambient air temperatures, decreasing annual average ground-surface temperatures, and reducing the cooling demand, mostly in South European cities.

Highlights

With rising urbanization, the urban heat island (UHI) effect, i.e. the phenomenon that urban atmospheres are warmer than the surrounding rural or non-urbanized areas [1], is increasing
The results show the positive effects of urban greening on mitigating rising ambient air temperatures, decreasing annual average ground-surface temperatures, and reducing the cooling demand, mostly in South European cities
While there are a few studies that explore the impacts of urban greening at the neighborhood and urban scale, there has to date hardly been any study exploring the impact of urban greening on the energy demand and the microclimate at the regional scale

Summary

Introduction

The urban heat island (UHI) effect, i.e. the phenomenon that urban atmospheres are warmer than the surrounding rural or non-urbanized areas [1], is increasing. In this regard, manmade (anthropologic) land-cover changes [2] and substitution of vegetation by built and artificial surfaces play a vital role, as they increase heat storage within the urban canopy and contribute to the UHI. Several factors affect the microclimate, including the city structure, the surface materials used in the built environment, the availability of urban vegetation, precipitation, and heat generation [6]. A methodological approach is proposed to quantify these impacts for seventeen European cities

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Conclusion