Wu, Yehan, Mashhoodi, Bardia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7037-3932 and Patuano, Agnes (2025) Effective street tree and grass designs to cool European neighbourhoods. Urban Climate, 61:102376. ISSN 2212-0955 (Online) (doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102376)

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Abstract

Street trees and grass are important elements for cooling cities, yet where and how to distribute them at the neighbourhood scale is still unclear. This study aims to identify effective street tree and grass design scenarios to maximise cooling in European neighbourhoods with temperate climate. 32 design scenarios were developed by combining urban design parameters of vegetation type, coverage, and spatial distribution in four neighbourhood typologies. The microclimate ef- fects of these scenarios were then simulated using the ENVI-met model. To evaluate their cooling effects, three indices were applied: PET reduction, percentage change in thermal sensation class, and cooling efficiency. Results reveal that even fully covering streets with grass has a marginal thermal impact in reducing the mean Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) by up to 1.1 ◦C across the neighbourhood, while street trees lower PET by up to 8.7 ◦C. Neighbourhoods with wide radial streets have higher initial PET values and benefit more from green interventions. Strategically placing two rows of large trees on main streets is more effective for cooling than a single row on both main and secondary streets on the high-radiation side. Neighbourhood-specific practical recommendations for strategically implementing street trees and grass are provided to improve urban cooling.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	cooling efficiency, urban morphology, urban form, uban design, streetscapes, urban greening, Green infrastructure
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences N Fine Arts > NC Drawing Design Illustration Q Science > Q Science (General) Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences (CMS)
Last Modified:	08 May 2025 07:34
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/50341

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