Comparative analysis of the microclimatic impact of small and medium size urban green areas in the city of Mendoza – Argentina

Abstract

 This work evaluates whether the typology of urban green space influences its capacity to cool the environment. To do so, a comparison was made of the thermal benefits provided by small-scale green spaces compared to medium-scale green spaces such as squares, located in the city of Mendoza - Argentina. Methodologically, four case studies are compared, where HOBO stations were used to record air temperature and relative humidity. The monitoring points were determined in two conditions: the first inside the green space with two different schemes - Forest and Sealed - and the second in the exterior urban canyons, for the four cardinal points North, South, East and West. The SVF value was also determined with the RayMan program. The results show that small and medium-sized green spaces offer significant thermal benefits compared to their surroundings. During the warming period, the forest structure obtains differences of 3°C for the squares and 2°C for the small squares. During the cooling period, the sealed structure provides cooling of around 1.1°C and 1.4°C for the squares and 1°C for the small squares.