Studies in the assessment of vegetation impact in the urban context

Over the last years there has been a massive - and partially chaotic - increase in the extent of metropolitan areas. As a result, the microclimate of the cities, the performance of buildings, and the quality of urban life are critically affected by anthropogenic heat flux, heat absorbing construction materials, and reduced vegetation coverage. In light of this, the consideration and adoption of measures for the improvement of thermal conditions in the urban environment is a necessity. In this context, the present paper reports on a number of original case studies, which address the role of urban vegetation and green areas in different ways in terms of measures, methods, and scales. Thereby, the case studies are structured in terms of two general vantage points. Whereas the first group is primarily concerned with the implications of vegetation for microclimatic conditions in the urban settings (e.g. the effect of trees on the microclimate of streets and courtyards), the second group addresses the vegetation implications for the performance of buildings (e.g., cooling energy use and thermal discomfort in indoor environments).