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Addressing the Urban Heat Islands Effect: A Cross-Country Assessment of the Role of Green Infrastructure

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  • Walter Leal Filho

    (Research and Transfer Centre “Sustainability and Climate Change Management”, Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, D-21033 Hamburg, Germany
    School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M1 5GD, UK)

  • Franziska Wolf

    (Research and Transfer Centre “Sustainability and Climate Change Management”, Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, D-21033 Hamburg, Germany)

  • Ricardo Castro-Díaz

    (Regional Center of Geomatics, Autonomous University of Entre Ríos, Oro Verde 3100, Argentina)

  • Chunlan Li

    (Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographical Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China)

  • Vincent N. Ojeh

    (Department of Geography, Faculty of Social & Management Sciences, Taraba State University, Jalingo PMB 1176, Nigeria)

  • Nestor Gutiérrez

    (Forest Research Institute of Baden-Wuerttemberg, 79100 Freiburg, Germany)

  • Gustavo J. Nagy

    (Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ecología y Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de la República (FC-UdelaR), Montevideo 4225, Uruguay)

  • Stevan Savić

    (Climatology and Hydrology Research Centre, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia)

  • Claudia E. Natenzon

    (Institute of Geography, University of Buenos Aires/FLACSO Argentina, Buenos Aires C1053, Argentina)

  • Abul Quasem Al-Amin

    (Institute of Energy Policy and Research (IEPRe), Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Kajang 43000, Malaysia
    Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada)

  • Marija Maruna

    (Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia)

  • Juliane Bönecke

    (Research and Transfer Centre “Sustainability and Climate Change Management”, Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, D-21033 Hamburg, Germany)

Abstract

The Urban Heat Islands (UHI) effect is a microclimatic phenomenon that especially affects urban areas. It is associated with significant temperature increases in the local microclimate, and may amplify heat waves. Due to their intensity, UHI causes not only thermal discomfort, but also reductions in the levels of life quality. This paper reviews the important role of green infrastructure as a means through which the intensity of UHI may be reduced, along with their negative impact on human comfort and wellbeing. Apart from a comprehensive review of the available literature, the paper reports on an analysis of case studies in a set of 14 cities in 13 countries representing various geographical regions and climate zones. The results obtained suggest that whereas UHI is a common phenomenon, green infrastructure in urban areas may under some conditions ameliorate their impacts. In addition, the study revealed that the scope and impacts of UHI are not uniform: depending on peculiarities of urban morphologies, they pose different challenges linked to the microclimate peculiar to each city. The implications of this paper are threefold. Firstly, it reiterates the complex interrelations of UHIs, heat waves and climate change. Secondly, it outlines the fact that keeping and increasing urban green resources leads to additional various benefits that may directly or indirectly reduce the impacts of UHI. Finally, the paper reiterates the need for city planners to pay more attention to possible UHI effects when initiating new building projects or when adjusting current ones.

Suggested Citation

  • Walter Leal Filho & Franziska Wolf & Ricardo Castro-Díaz & Chunlan Li & Vincent N. Ojeh & Nestor Gutiérrez & Gustavo J. Nagy & Stevan Savić & Claudia E. Natenzon & Abul Quasem Al-Amin & Marija Maruna , 2021. "Addressing the Urban Heat Islands Effect: A Cross-Country Assessment of the Role of Green Infrastructure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:753-:d:480194
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Huamei Shao & Gunwoo Kim, 2022. "A Comprehensive Review of Different Types of Green Infrastructure to Mitigate Urban Heat Islands: Progress, Functions, and Benefits," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, October.
    3. Nikolay Rashevskiy & Natalia Sadovnikova & Tatyana Ereshchenko & Danila Parygin & Alexander Ignatyev, 2023. "Atmospheric Ecology Modeling for the Sustainable Development of the Urban Environment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-24, February.
    4. Rakin Abrar & Showmitra Kumar Sarkar & Kashfia Tasnim Nishtha & Swapan Talukdar & Shahfahad & Atiqur Rahman & Abu Reza Md Towfiqul Islam & Amir Mosavi, 2022. "Assessing the Spatial Mapping of Heat Vulnerability under Urban Heat Island (UHI) Effect in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-24, April.
    5. Decoville, Antoine & Feltgen, Valérie, 2023. "Clarifying the EU objective of no net land take: A necessity to avoid the cure being worse than the disease," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    6. Jan Petzold & Lukas Mose, 2023. "Urban Greening as a Response to Climate-Related Heat Risk: A Social–Geographical Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.
    7. Ozge Ogut & Nerantzia Julia Tzortzi & Chiara Bertolin, 2022. "Vertical Green Structures to Establish Sustainable Built Environment: A Systematic Market Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-36, September.

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