DR
Kieron Doick and his team from Forestry Research UK, Studied
small and medium sized parks in London to determine the optimum size, distribution
and composition of urban green spaces needed to achieve urban cooling.
Very small green spaces with areas of less than 0.5 ha
(slightly smaller than an average football pitch) did not affect the air
temperatures of their surrounding areas; however as the area of green space
increased the distance over which cooling was achieved increased linearly.
Spaces with more tree canopy coverage increased the
distance beyond the boundaries of the green space over which cooling was
measurable, while the amount of cooling was more strongly linked to the amount
of grass coverage present. On calm warm nights they estimate that a network of
green spaces of around 3-5 hectares each situated 100-150 m apart would provide
comprehensive cooling for a city with a climate and characteristics similar to
London.
DR Kieron Doick says “This
information could help urban planners to design environments that can lead to
lower temperatures in cities” said Dr Kieron Doick who led the
research, “Trees and areas of grass both have an important role to play in
aiding the cooling of cities – trees mean that a cooling effect is felt further
afield and areas of grass increase the amount of cooling so a mix of the two is
ideal”.
Details of the study appears in the latest issue of journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
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