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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Heat stress mitigation actions must be carefully planned in order to achieve efective outcomes. By integrating urban planning guidelines with urban climate knowledge, substantial benefts can be achieved for the community. In Lisbon, the study area, urban planning guidelines are strict in relation to the tree species which should be used for planting. This study examined these species environmental contributions to the community, especially in regard to heat stress mitigation in two urban canyons previously found as UTCI hotspots. For this, microclimatic Envi-met simulations were run which allowed recalculation of the UTCI hotspot analysis and to assess individual species contribution to possible mitigation eforts.
Results demonstrated the ability of these trees to lower air temperature and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). By reducing UTCI temperatures between 3.19 °C and 6.27 °C on a hot summer’s day, these trees were also able to transform an identifed UTCI hotspot into a coldspot. From the studied species, Pyrus calleryana was found to be the most efective species for mitigating thermal stress, although all three species performed well. Regarding community services, according to the iTree tool, Cercis siliquastrum had the greatest overall impact. These results give to the municipal urban planning which tree species should be prioritized in terms of climate action, as well as a methodological framework to assess at local scale which areas should be intervened.
Description
Keywords
Microclimate Lisbon Micrometeorological simulations Thermal comfort Climate action
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Silva, T., Matias, M., Girotti, C., Vasconcelos, J. & Lopes, A. (2025). Heat stress mitigation by exploring UTCI hotspots and enhancing thermal comfort through street trees. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 156, 162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-025-05400-7
Publisher
Springer Nature