Research
Why some city blocks stay cooler may come down to their neighbors
Earth.com · By Eric Ralls ·
The Brief
- Cities run hotter than the surrounding countryside, due to pavement, missing trees, and heat from buildings and air conditioners.
- A further factor may be how buildings are grouped by use, according to a study covering 101 cities.
- The source excerpt is truncated before it describes the full findings on clusters of homes, factories and other building types.
Why it matters
Urban heat differences within a city may depend on how land uses are arranged next to each other, not only on trees and pavement, which could inform where planners target cooling measures.
Who’s affected
- urban planners and city designers
- city residents in hot urban areas
- #urban heat
- #city planning
- #climate adaptation
- #urban design
- #land use
Cities run hotter than the countryside around them, and the usual suspects are pavement, missing trees and the heat given off by buildings and their air conditioners . Another factor may be how buildings are grouped by use. Across 101 cities, larger clusters of homes, factories…