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Land
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Urban Green Spaces: An Effective Tool to Regulate Urban Climate...
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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 6081

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nikolaos Proutsos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Hellenic Agricultural Organization–DIMITRA, Terma Alkmanos, 11528 Athens, Greece
Interests: forest micrometeorology; precipitation; agrometeorology; climate dynamics; biometeorology; climate change; aridity; drought; crop water requirements
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Alexandra D. Solomou

E-Mail Website
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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 (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4734 KB  
Article
Greening Schools for Climate Resilience and Sustainable Co-Design: A Case Study of Thermal Comfort in Coimbra, Portugal
by António M. Rochette Cordeiro, Joaquim Fialho, Carolina Coelho and José Miguel Lameiras
Land 2025, 14(10), 1985; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14101985 - 2 Oct 2025
Viewed by 880
Abstract
Urban school environments often face significant thermal discomfort due to extensive paved surfaces, limited vegetation, and outdated building designs. This study examines how green spaces can mitigate temperature extremes and improve thermal comfort at two secondary schools in Coimbra, Portugal: Escola Secundária José [...] Read more.
Urban school environments often face significant thermal discomfort due to extensive paved surfaces, limited vegetation, and outdated building designs. This study examines how green spaces can mitigate temperature extremes and improve thermal comfort at two secondary schools in Coimbra, Portugal: Escola Secundária José Falcão (ESJF) and Escola Secundária D. Dinis (ESDD). Using a mixed-methods approach that combined school community surveys with on-site microclimatic measurements, we integrated user feedback on comfort with data on temperature and humidity variations across different indoor and outdoor spaces. Results revealed that tree-shaded areas consistently maintained lower air temperatures and higher relative humidity than unshaded zones, which experienced intense heat accumulation—up to a 5 °C difference. At ESJF, the older infrastructure and large asphalt surfaces led to severe heat retention, with east-facing classrooms recording the highest indoor temperatures. ESDD’s pavilion-style layout and existing green spaces provided comparatively better thermal conditions, although insufficient vegetation maintenance and limited shade reduced their effectiveness. The findings demonstrate a clear correspondence between the school community’s perceptions of thermal comfort and the measured microclimatic data. Vegetation—particularly deciduous trees—plays a critical role in cooling the school microclimate through shading and evapotranspiration. Strategic interventions such as expanding tree cover in high-exposure areas, installing green roofs and walls, and carefully selecting species can significantly reduce temperature extremes and improve outdoor usability. In addition, fostering environmental education and participatory co-design programs can encourage sustainable behaviors within the school community, underlining the importance of inclusive, nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. This research highlights that integrating green infrastructure in school design and management is a cost-effective strategy for thermal regulation. Green spaces, when co-designed with community involvement, not only enhance climate resilience and student well-being but also contribute to broader sustainable urban development goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Spaces: An Effective Tool to Regulate Urban Climate and Biodiversity, 2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 6686 KB  
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 2000
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
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Spaces: An Effective Tool to Regulate Urban Climate and Biodiversity, 2nd Edition)
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34 pages, 13684 KB  
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 1184
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
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Spaces: An Effective Tool to Regulate Urban Climate and Biodiversity, 2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 3744 KB  
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
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1092
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
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Spaces: An Effective Tool to Regulate Urban Climate and Biodiversity, 2nd Edition)
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