The heat island effect has become increasingly common in the last years in EU cities and the term is now spread into common and journal language. With ‘Urban Heat Island’ we refer to the significant increase in the temperature within the city with respect to the surrounding rural or peri-urban areas. On the warmest day of summer, the minimum temperature could be up to 2° higher in the city center than in the surrounding.

There are several causes of an urban heat island for example dark surfaces of the building, limited ventilation due to building position, materials used for streets and roofs, and lack of evapotranspiration from vegetation. Pollution can also exacerbate the UHI.

Source: Urban Green UP