Comparing green space for urban cooling, study

A study of six green and blue infrastructure sites in Guildford, England found that woodlands, grasslands, lakesides, parks, green walls, and riversides were all cooler than comparable built-up areas, by an average of roughly 1.8 to 2.5 degrees Celsius. The cooling effect grew sharply during extreme heat, with the woodland site running nearly 6 degrees Celsius cooler than pavement on the hottest days, while the green wall provided the least benefit.

Researchers tracked temperatures at one-minute intervals from June 2023 through August 2025 and supplemented ground sensors with satellite data. An outside expert cautioned that no single number can be assigned to any given type of green space, since cooling depends heavily on design, scale, and surrounding buildings.

The study arrives as the UN warns that global temperatures will soon exceed the Paris Agreement's target, adding urgency to how cities plan shade and water into their layouts.

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