Urban Green Infrastructure for Climate-Proof and Healthy Cities

Dear Colleagues,

In the light of climate change adaptation, urban green (and blue) infrastructures are becoming increasingly recognized, referring to urban and settlement planning and the design of climate-adapted housings and buildings. Green and plant-based solutions (such as green roofing, green façading, street and open space greenery etc.) have become an issue in combatting urban heat and associated health stresses.

In 2013, the European Commission launched the Green Infrastructure Strategy, defining Green Infrastructure (GI) as a policy objective in order to preserve natural capital. To create and improve the knowledge base was one of the top concerns to enhance strategic developments for implementation. By using nature-based solutions, urban green infrastructure is intended to preserve and advance biodiversity and resilience in cities and peri-urban areas.

During the past seven years, activities, policies and research have multiplied, and an increasing number of studies have proven evidence on the positive impacts of urban green referring to indoor and outdoor microclimate and temperature control, energy consumption, noise reduction, fine-dust filtration and air quality improvement. Moreover, benefits from urban green on social, physical and psychological health and well-being are apparently associated and increasingly important for neighborhood improvement and district upgrades.

However, a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between urban green and human health and wellbeing is needed to develop objectives and interventions for green implementation and retrofit. The engagement of different scientific disciplines is key for improving current approaches and creating small-scale and larger-scale sustainable GI solutions.

This Special Issue focuses on urban green infrastructure for sustainable climate change adaptation and health and sociocultural improvement. It aims at advancing and sharing the current insights in the impact of urban green infrastructure on microclimate, energy demand, health and sociocultural structures and activities.

The purpose of this issue is to provide up-to-date knowledge in technologies, planning and implementation of urban green infrastructure in order to advance urban sustainability and secure healthy and climate-proof urban environments. It further addresses novel insights in related public health issues. There are still many challenges regarding practical, ethical, and legal concerns, and evidence-based approaches covering technical, natural-sciences, planning, governance and health aspects are scarce.

We invite authors to submit articles to this Special Issue on urban green infrastructure related to the broader spectrum of technical and natural, social and medical science and the evaluation of these aspects in urban and peri-urban settings. We welcome theoretical and empirical contributions as well as review articles, and the submission of research work by interdisciplinary teams and international groups is of significant interest.

The issue will therefore refer to and supplement the Special Issue Green Infrastructures and Climate Change and other previously published findings on the microclimatic and energy-related benefits that urban green infrastructure provides. Additionally, it will provide most current considerations on technology advancement and health and socio-cultural benefits for advancing planning and implementation strategies.

Prof. Dr. Rosemarie Stangl
Dr. Ulrike Pitha
Ass. Prof. Dr. Daniela Haluza
Dr. Ingrid Kaltenegger
Guest Editors

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