Analysis of Cooling and Humidification Effects of Different Coverage Types in Small Green Spaces (SGS) in the Context of Urban Homogenization: A Case of HAU Campus Green Spaces in Summer in Zhengzhou, China

Abstract

In the context of global warming, more and more cities are experiencing extreme Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects and extreme weather phenomena, but urban green spaces are proven to mitigate UHI. Most of UHI’s research focuses on the large scale and uses remote sensing methods, which do not reflect the dynamic characteristics in detail and do not detect internal influencing factors of the green space cooling effect. Therefore, this study focused on Small Green Spaces (SGS), carrying out the measurement of the meteorological parameters (temperature, relative humidity, wind direction, wind speed, photosynthetic radiation) of the 16 sites in four types of coverage (Impervious surface; Shrub-grass; Tree-grass; Tree-shrub-grass) in a university campus. At the same time, the coverage characteristic parameters, such as Canopy Density (CD), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), Mean Leaf Angle (MLA), of each plot were analyzed and compared. The results showed that there were significant differences in temperature among different coverage types in SGS. The biggest difference was concentrated in the noon period when solar radiation is strongest during the day. The difference between the four types of coverage with vegetation at night was small. The maximum air temperature difference among the four types could reach 8.9 ℃ and the maximum relative humidity difference was 28.5%. The cooling effect of the multi-layer vegetation-covered (Tree-shrub-grass) area was the largest compared to the impervious surface, indicating that tree cover was the core factor affecting the temperature. Temperature and relative humidity had a close correlation with surface coverage types and some plant community characteristics (such as CD and LAI). The cooling and humidifying effects of plants were also related to PAR and leaf angle. The results provide suggestions for green space management and landscape design.

Redefinition of Park Design Criteria as a Result of Analysis of Well-Being and Soundscape: The Case Study of the Kortowo Park (Poland)

“…In addition to acoustic valor of greenery in university campuses that is marked in our research, it should be considered as one element in a more complex environmental system, where soundscape together with water management [ 73 ], energy consumption [ 74 ], or climate mitigation actions [ 75 ] can create academic campuses as sustainable educations hubs influencing the surrounding and promoting a built environment of 21st century. Such actions in redesigning academic campuses according to modern urbanization concepts can be observed in many countries around the globe like France [ 76 ], Spain [ 77 ], Italy [ 78 ], Poland [ 79 ], Germany [ 70 ], Finland [ 80 ], US [ 81 ], Turkey [ 82 ], India [ 83 ], China [ 84 ], Singapore [ 85 ], Malaysia [ 86 ], or Brazil [ 87 ].…”

Pocket parks-a systematic literature review

“…Green infrastructure is a vital component of urban areas, providing essential ecosystem services such as mitigating the urban heat island effect [6][7][8], reducing surface runoff [9], improving air quality [10,11], and supporting biodiversity [12,13]. Additionally, natural environments offer a versatile setting for outdoor recreation, physical activities, and socialization.…”

Sustainable Campus: Reducing Environmental and Financial Burdens by Using Pruned Branches for On-Campus Energy

“…The reduction in energy consumption and use of renewable energy are especially important to improve the sustainability of campuses [4][5][6][7][8][9]. To promote the use of renewable energy, the pruned branches produced in the green areas of campuses [10][11][12] can be potentially used as renewable woody biomass.…”