Urban heat mitigation by green and blue infrastructure: Drivers, effectiveness, and future needs

Prashant Kumar; Sisay E. Debele; Soheila Khalili; Christos H. Halios; Jeetendra Sahani; Nasrin Aghamohammadi; Maria de Fatima Andrade; Maria Athanassiadou; Kamaldeep Bhui; Nerea Calvillo; Shi-Jie Cao; Frederic Coulon; Jill L. Edmondson; David Fletcher; Edmilson Dias de Freitas; Hai Guo; Matthew C. Hort; Madhusudan Katti; Thomas Rodding Kjeldsen; Steffen Lehmann; Giuliano Maselli Locosselli; Shelagh K. Malham; Lidia Morawska; Rajan Parajuli; Christopher D.F. Rogers; Runming Yao; Fang Wang; Jannis Wenk; Laurence Jones

The Innovation (Mar 2024)

Urban heat mitigation by green and blue infrastructure: Drivers, effectiveness, and future needs

Prashant Kumar,
Sisay E. Debele,
Soheila Khalili,
Christos H. Halios,
Jeetendra Sahani,
Nasrin Aghamohammadi,
Maria de Fatima Andrade,
Maria Athanassiadou,
Kamaldeep Bhui,
Nerea Calvillo,
Shi-Jie Cao,
Frederic Coulon,
Jill L. Edmondson,
David Fletcher,
Edmilson Dias de Freitas,
Hai Guo,
Matthew C. Hort,
Madhusudan Katti,
Thomas Rodding Kjeldsen,
Steffen Lehmann,
Giuliano Maselli Locosselli,
Shelagh K. Malham,
Lidia Morawska,
Rajan Parajuli,
Christopher D.F. Rogers,
Runming Yao,
Fang Wang,
Jannis Wenk,
Laurence Jones

Affiliations

Prashant Kumar: Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; Institute for Sustainability, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, Surrey, UK; School of Architecture, Southeast University, 2 Sipailou, Nanjing 210096, China; Corresponding author
Sisay E. Debele: Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
Soheila Khalili: Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
Christos H. Halios: School of Built Environment, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6BU, UK
Jeetendra Sahani: Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
Nasrin Aghamohammadi: School Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, Kent St, Bentley 6102, Western Australia; Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch 6150, Western Australia
Maria de Fatima Andrade: Atmospheric Sciences Department, Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-090, Brazil
Maria Athanassiadou: Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter EX1 3PB, UK
Kamaldeep Bhui: Department of Psychiatry and Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, Wadham College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Nerea Calvillo: Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, University of Warwick, Warwick, UK
Shi-Jie Cao: Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; School of Architecture, Southeast University, 2 Sipailou, Nanjing 210096, China
Frederic Coulon: Cranfield University, School of Water, Environment and Energy, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK
Jill L. Edmondson: Plants, Photosynthesis, Soil Cluster, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
David Fletcher: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
Edmilson Dias de Freitas: Atmospheric Sciences Department, Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-090, Brazil
Hai Guo: Air Quality Studies, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Matthew C. Hort: Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter EX1 3PB, UK
Madhusudan Katti: Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, Faculty Excellence Program for Leadership in Public Science, North Carolina State University, Chancellor, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Thomas Rodding Kjeldsen: Departments of Architecture & Civil Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
Steffen Lehmann: School of Architecture, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
Giuliano Maselli Locosselli: Department of Tropical Ecosystems Functioning, Center of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13416-000, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Shelagh K. Malham: School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5 AB, UK
Lidia Morawska: Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK; International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Science and Technology, QLD, Australia
Rajan Parajuli: Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Christopher D.F. Rogers: Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Runming Yao: School of Built Environment, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6BU, UK; Joint International Research Laboratory of Green Buildings and Built Environments, Ministry of Education, School of the Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
Fang Wang: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Jannis Wenk: Departments of Architecture & Civil Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
Laurence Jones: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK; Liverpool Hope University, Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Hope Park, Liverpool L16 9JD, UK

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 5, no. 2
p. 100588

Abstract

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The combination of urbanization and global warming leads to urban overheating and compounds the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events due to climate change. Yet, the risk of urban overheating can be mitigated by urban green-blue-grey infrastructure (GBGI), such as parks, wetlands, and engineered greening, which have the potential to effectively reduce summer air temperatures. Despite many reviews, the evidence bases on quantified GBGI cooling benefits remains partial and the practical recommendations for implementation are unclear. This systematic literature review synthesizes the evidence base for heat mitigation and related co-benefits, identifies knowledge gaps, and proposes recommendations for their implementation to maximize their benefits. After screening 27,486 papers, 202 were reviewed, based on 51 GBGI types categorized under 10 main divisions. Certain GBGI (green walls, parks, street trees) have been well researched for their urban cooling capabilities. However, several other GBGI have received negligible (zoological garden, golf course, estuary) or minimal (private garden, allotment) attention. The most efficient air cooling was observed in botanical gardens (5.0 ± 3.5°C), wetlands (4.9 ± 3.2°C), green walls (4.1 ± 4.2°C), street trees (3.8 ± 3.1°C), and vegetated balconies (3.8 ± 2.7°C). Under changing climate conditions (2070–2100) with consideration of RCP8.5, there is a shift in climate subtypes, either within the same climate zone (e.g., Dfa to Dfb and Cfb to Cfa) or across other climate zones (e.g., Dfb [continental warm-summer humid] to BSk [dry, cold semi-arid] and Cwa [temperate] to Am [tropical]). These shifts may result in lower efficiency for the current GBGI in the future. Given the importance of multiple services, it is crucial to balance their functionality, cooling performance, and other related co-benefits when planning for the future GBGI. This global GBGI heat mitigation inventory can assist policymakers and urban planners in prioritizing effective interventions to reduce the risk of urban overheating, filling research gaps, and promoting community resilience.

Published in The Innovation

ISSN: 2666-6758 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science: Science (General)
Website: https://www.cell.com/the-innovation

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