Lifestyle

More Trees, Taller Buildings Next To Thin Streets Could Reduce Urban Heat Island Effect

Enhancing tree canopy, reflective pavements, and constructing taller buildings adjacent to thinner streets could help mitigate the “urban heat island” or the UHI effect, according to new research.

The tendency of cities to trap heat termed the UHI effect, can lead to dangerous temperatures during summer.

However, this research from Pennsylvania State University, US, published in the journal Buildings, has suggested certain urban factors that can reduce this effect.

The study found that trees had a cooling effect on outdoor air temperature, mean radiant temperature, or the heat given off by buildings and other infrastructure, and predicted mean vote index, a measurement designed to evaluate thermal comfort levels.

Further, the researchers determined that both a higher building adjacent to thinner streets, thus creating shade for the streets, as well as higher ‘albedo’ pavements or pavements better at reflecting sunlight led to lower mean radiant temperature and greater comfort levels. They are both urban morphological factors.

The researchers said that heat island hotspots and mortality rates tended to be greater in urban blocks with a socially disadvantaged population owing to a combination of physical factors, such as impervious surfaces and lack of vegetation, and social factors, such as vulnerability to heat-related health effects.

”Global warming makes some human habitats unbearably hot, but more so for socially and historically disadvantaged communities,” said Guangqing Chi, professor of rural sociology, demography, and public health sciences.

Also read: Over 800 Million People Globally May Suffer Back Pain By 2050: Lancet Study

”This interdisciplinary project provides an effective, equitable urban design solution for enhancing resilience against extreme heating,” said Chi.

The research was based in the US city of Philadelphia which, according to the researchers, experiences high rates of both poverty and extreme weather, a combination of socioeconomic and climate factors that made it an ideal location for investigation.

Quoting a 2021 study, this study said that Philadelphia had the highest poverty rate out of the most populated cities in the US, with 22.8 percent of the urban people living below the poverty level. The city also has experienced its snowiest winter, two warmest summers, wettest days, and two wettest years on record since 2010.

For the study, the researchers used the social vulnerability index, or SVI, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with data about tree coverage to identify two neighborhoods in the city.

While one of them had the lowest SVI and high tree coverage, the other had the highest SVI and the lowest tree coverage.

The researchers ran 24-hour simulations for six scenarios – winter, spring, summer, fall, extremely hot, and extreme cold – on digital 3D models of these neighborhoods, which incorporated information on construction materials, land cover, albedo, and heat generated by human activities, along with environmental factors, such as air temperature and mean radiant temperature, and urban morphology.

The researchers found that while trees can create a cooling effect, these benefits are limited to their immediate surroundings. Areas without trees had significantly higher mean radiant temperatures, and the effect of trees on air temperature decreased as distance from the tree canopy increased.

Sources PTI

Bharat Express English

Recent Posts

Pakistan’s Digital Frontline: Jokes, Memes And Savage Self-Roasts

While tensions between India and Pakistan escalate post the tragic Pahalgam terror attack, something unexpected…

7 hours ago

Reliance Industries Q4 Net Profit Rises 6.4% As Retail And Digital Units Offset Energy Weakness

Reliance Industries delivered a strong Q4 FY25 performance, with Y-o-Y net profit rising 6.4% to…

8 hours ago

Yash Pratap Singh And Mehak Jaiswal Top UP Board Exams With Outstanding Scores

Yash Pratap Singh of Jalaun tops Class 10 with 97.83%, while Prayagraj’s Mehak Jaiswal secures…

8 hours ago

Yogi Adityanath Calls For Reforms To Make Madrasa Education Modern And Employment-Oriented

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday emphasised the need for sweeping reforms in the madrasa…

9 hours ago

Tulsi Gabbard Backs India’s Hunt For Pahalgam Terror Attack Perpetrators

United States Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard on Friday expressed strong support for…

9 hours ago

World Leaders Head To Rome For funeral Of Pope Francis

Indian President Droupadi Murmu will also attend, representing India alongside Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Minister…

10 hours ago