Urban Green Spaces: An Effective Tool to Regulate Urban Climate and Biodiversity, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 2461

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Guest Editor
Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Hellenic Agricultural Organization-DIMITRA, N. Chlorou 1, Ilisia, 11528 Athens, Greece
Interests: monitoring, conservation, evaluation and utilization of plant biodiversity in mediterranean and forest ecosystems; research on the impact of environmental factors on plant biodiversity; ap-plication of biodiversity indicators; identification of plant indicator species
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban Green Spaces (UGSs) are on the cutting edge of recent research, probably due to their ability to provide critical services for the citizens and improve their quality of life and public health. They are considered highly influential factors and effective means for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change impacts in the cities due to the vegetation’s ability to regulate the local climate. The incorporation of UGAs in the climate change strategies and governance in modern cities is adopted in many cases to adverse the urban heat island effect and is highly encouraged by many world authorities including the European Union.

However, our knowledge of the complex urban environment and its association with green infrastructure is extremely limited. The scientific results of several studies are, in many cases, contradicted underlining the need for further research and investigation. The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) to give insights into the impacts of green spaces in the urban environment and also to investigate the reverse effect of the climate and/or meteorological conditions on the growth and development of the urban vegetation on small or large time and spatial scales.

Studies (research articles, case studies, reviews or perspectives) focusing on the following (though not limited to) themes are highly encouraged for submission.

  • Monitoring of micrometeorological and weather attributes in and outside of the UGSs;
  • UGSs and droughts;
  • Characteristics and plant species selection for use to enhance urban green infrastructures;
  • Plant community composition and biodiversity patterns in urban areas;
  • Biodiversity conservation in urban environments;
  • Presentation of good practice paradigms;
  • Incorporation of nature-based solutions in urban areas;
  • Stability of UGAs based on their multiple purposes and their biodiversity;
  • Urban heat island (UHI) and urban cool island (UCI) effects in the urban environment;
  • Selection of natural and artificial climate-friendly or conventional materials in the UGSs;
  • Impact of UGASs on citizen thermal comfort or on the need for energy;
  • Ability of UGAs to infiltrate and store water and to prevent urban flooding phenomena;
  • Urban green infrastructures as measures for the mitigation and adaptation of climate change;
  • Impact of UGAs on public health;
  • Management techniques to enhance urban biodiversity and effectiveness of the UGAs;
  • Comparison of urban, suburban and forest natural ecosystems;
  • UGAs characteristics (size, species composition, water requirements, optical properties including albedo, canopy architecture, connectivity, plant density, maintenance) and indices;
  • UGAs association with climate governance in cities;
  • Public perceptions on UGAs and socioeconomic impacts, etc.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Nikolaos Proutsos
Dr. Alexandra D. Solomou
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • urban green spaces
  • urban climate and climate change in cities
  • urban biodiversity, urban trees and vegetation management
  • meteorological monitoring of urban green areas
  • Urban Heat Island (UHI) and Urban Cool Island (UCI)
  • thermal comfort
  • natural and artificial climate-friendly materials
  • nature-based solutions and good practices in cities
  • plant species selection criteria in cities
  • water and maintenance requirements of urban vegetation

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 6686 KiB  
Article
From Bare Soil to Green Infrastructure: Micrometeorological Benefits from the Restoration of a Small Urban Park in a Mediterranean City
by Nikolaos D. Proutsos, Alexandra D. Solomou and Stefanos P. Stefanidis
Land 2025, 14(8), 1681; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14081681 - 20 Aug 2025
Viewed by 196
Abstract
Urban green spaces (UGSs) are a vital component of urban landscapes nowadays, with an impact on energy distribution in cities and local climate regulation. This study aims to quantify the thermal and optical behavior of various materials in a small-scale Mediterranean UGS and [...] Read more.
Urban green spaces (UGSs) are a vital component of urban landscapes nowadays, with an impact on energy distribution in cities and local climate regulation. This study aims to quantify the thermal and optical behavior of various materials in a small-scale Mediterranean UGS and provide insights into the use of green and artificial materials in urban parks. The analysis also includes the changes in the UGS’s optical and thermal properties following its restoration in 2024. The thermal comfort in the UGS is assessed for the 2020–2024 period, along with the reflectivity and surface temperatures of the different materials pre- (in 2022) and post-restoration (in 2024), using in situ measurements. The results show notable seasonal and interannual variability in the thermal comfort of the site. The impact of vegetation on the UGS was critical. The vegetation-covered surfaces exhibited surface temperatures close to ambient air temperature, highlighting their effective thermal regulation. During summer mornings, the average temperatures of the vegetation-covered surfaces were around 30.5 °C, lower compared to artificial or non-green materials, like asphalt, concrete, gravel, and dry bare soil, which were above 42 °C. The vegetation albedo was relatively lower (around 0.19), while artificial covers showed a greater reflectance (up to 0.35), thus boosting the heat retention. These results highlight the essential importance of green infrastructure incorporation to boost the thermal dynamics of urban open spaces and mitigate climate change effects. Full article
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34 pages, 13684 KiB  
Article
How to Improve Blue–Green–Gray Infrastructure to Optimize River Cooling Island Effect on Riparian Zone for Outdoor Activities in Summer
by Min Wang, Yuqing Su and Jieqiong Wang
Land 2025, 14(7), 1330; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14071330 - 22 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 738
Abstract
As important urban green spaces, rivers enhance cooling island effects significantly by leveraging environmental factors. This study selected Suzhou River in Shanghai as the subject to explore how to improve blue–green–gray infrastructure to optimize the river cooling island effect on the riparian zone [...] Read more.
As important urban green spaces, rivers enhance cooling island effects significantly by leveraging environmental factors. This study selected Suzhou River in Shanghai as the subject to explore how to improve blue–green–gray infrastructure to optimize the river cooling island effect on the riparian zone for outdoor activities in summer. A total of 77 samples, including 36 control groups and 41 experimental groups, were categorized into 12 types of blue–green–gray infrastructure composite features. ENVI-met was used to simulate summer thermal comfort, while redundancy analysis and boosted regression trees were used to identify significant factors and thresholds influencing the river’s cooling island effect. The results showed that for Suzhou River, the green–blue–green–gray–green composition most effectively optimizes the river cooling island effect. It is recommended to select construction sites where the river width is 55 m and the percentage of green infrastructure exceeds 40% and keep the distance between green infrastructure and the water body to within 3 m. Additionally, limiting gray infrastructure to less than 10%, with an average building height of 37 m and a building undulation of 25 m, is recommended to achieve the optimal cooling effect. This study finally proposes optimization strategies to maximize the cooling island effect of urban rivers, offering insights for the development of climate-adaptive urban riparian zones. Full article
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18 pages, 3744 KiB  
Article
Urban Green Spaces and Climate Changes: Assessing Ecosystem Services for the Municipality of Sassari (Italy)
by Andrea De Montis, Antonio Ledda, Vittorio Serra, Alessandro Manunta and Giovanna Calia
Land 2025, 14(6), 1308; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061308 - 19 Jun 2025
Viewed by 757
Abstract
Urban green spaces (UGS) supply a wide range of ecosystem services (ESs), which are key to mitigation and adaptation to climate changes. In this study, we focus on two ESs, i.e., greenhouse gas sequestration by terrestrial ecosystems and mitigating the heat island effect [...] Read more.
Urban green spaces (UGS) supply a wide range of ecosystem services (ESs), which are key to mitigation and adaptation to climate changes. In this study, we focus on two ESs, i.e., greenhouse gas sequestration by terrestrial ecosystems and mitigating the heat island effect through vegetation, as defined by the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services. The purpose is to support municipalities with characteristics similar to those of the municipality investigated in this study with a rough assessment of ESs through freely available data. The ES delivery capacity assessment relies on the adoption of two indicators: (i) increased carbon storage in forests and (ii) the Heat Island Mitigation Index (HIMI). We applied the method to the UGS of the municipality of Sassari (Italy) and found that the potential amount of carbon storage is 42,052.7 t, while the value of HIMI provided by the green spaces in the homogeneous territorial areas is 67.73%. The methodological approach adopted in this study is potentially applicable in Italian as well as Mediterranean small to medium municipalities to integrate the quantitative assessment of ESs in local planning tools. The novelty of this study lies in the applied practical approach, which is implementable by public bodies lacking data and resources, to assessing prima facie the need for operational climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. Full article
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