The heat waves that have hit Italy in recent weeks have reminded us how difficult it is to live in the city during the summer. Refresh the cities is fundamentalespecially with the growing threat of change climate. A recent study published in Nature Cities highlights the importance not only of urban green areas, but also of the surrounding rural areas.
Green spaces in cities How parks and groves offer tangible benefits, but are not sufficient on their own. Rural areas around cities can act as real “natural air conditioners”, helping to reduce urban temperatures. This is the result of a vast analysis conducted by researchers at university Of Surrey And South-Eastern in China.
An in-depth study on China to refresh
To better understand the effect of rural areas, the researchers analyzed 30 city Chinese from 2000 to 2020 using satellite data. They examined the distribution of land ruralurban and temperatures, trying to identify which characteristics of the territory were most effective in cooling the city.
The results of the study are clear: Rural areas can absorb urban heat and reduce the intensity of heat islands by up to 30%. Unite portions of rural territoryplanting more forests scattered around cities and preferring larger lakes over many small bodies of water are effective strategies to achieve these benefits.
The cooling mechanism
The mechanism is simple but effective: the air hot of cities creates a area low pressure near the ground and is carried to rural areas by convection and diffusion, where it is replaced by cooler countryside air.
Want to help make your city more livable during the summer? Tell us your opinion and ideas in the comments!
#Cool #Cities #Surrounding #Countryside
