Overheated city

What are urban heat islands and how greenery can help prevent them?

Urban heat island is a phenomenon that occurs in nearly every big agglomeration. It means that perceived temperature is higher in the cityscape than it is in the surrounding areas or even in the suburbs. The phenomenon has become more visible in recent years. Sometimes the difference between temperatures can reach 10 Celsius degrees.

We live in an age of rapid tech development, digitalization and growing urban spaces. This process is often the reason behind shrinking green areas, smaller parks, creating new buildings in the close proximity of railways, and logging. Urban buildings are made of materials such as reinforced concrete, asphalt and concrete that keep warmth during the day, causing streets to overheat. Because of lack of the green spaces, the heat has nowhere to escape. The natural process of exchanging temperatures between atmosphere and earth is disrupted, which leads to the creation of urban heat islands.

Greenery is the best tool to fight with this phenomena. A large amount of trees helps in the transformation of water to air, which then cools the atmosphere and stops the growth of  urban heat island. The less greenery in the city, the bigger chance the temperatures are going to raise, especially in the Summer time, which is part of the reason for air pollution.. It can be dangerous to people’s lives and health.