Urban Green Infrastructure Inventory as a Key Prerequisite to Sustainable Cities in Ukraine under Extreme Heat Events

Abstract

The frequency of extreme heat effects has recently increased in European cities due to climate change. The problem appears to be critical in urban areas where manmade structures significantly alter the temperature balance, thus highlighting the importance of sustainable management and proper inventory of urban green zones. Based on this, the paper provides a case study on using a combination of open-access and low-cost urban greenery inventory methods that could be used by municipal governments and private land managers to estimate the contribution of urban trees to the mitigation of urban heat impacts. The research focuses on the urban greenery inventory of courtyards in high-rise residential districts of the city of Kyiv (Ukraine), aiming to estimate the adapting potential of urban vegetation against heatwaves. Visual and thermal satellite images of Kyiv enabled us to estimate how the density of buildings and greenery is distributed and analyze the surface temperature in residential districts. A UAV thermal imaging survey was made in four selected locations with varying vegetation coverage, followed by leaf-based field instrumental analysis of photosynthetic activity in selected city tree species at hot temperatures. In addition, 16 portable temperature and humidity sensors were installed in shaded and sunlight-exposed areas of the locations in focus to assess the microclimate formation impact of trees in a high-rise residential courtyard. The Ukrainian legislation on the management of green spaces in cities was reviewed to find out whether it promotes the shaping of comfortable microclimates in residential districts; follow-up recommendations were made on how to improve the applicable provisions.