The impact of plant cover and dendrological structure of roadside green spaces on microclimate in the urban environment

Abstract

Automotive traffic in cities is considered one of the permanent and key sources of various types of pollution in the urban environment. Urban roads have a particularly negative impact on the climate of the city. Large areas under asphalt cause overheating of cities, as a result of increased temperature and decreased air humidity, thus affecting the overall urban comfort. Roadside green spaces are elements of the city structure that directly contribute to the mitigation of negative consequences produced by the city traffic. Plant material, as part of green spaces, significantly contributes to the improvement of environmental quality, above all, benefiting the urban microclimate. The information on the plant cover of green spaces (the percentage share, especially of woody plant material) and their dendrological structure for the intensity of air temperature and humidity modification as the most important climate characteristics of the city are of great importance in the process of planning and management of urban green spaces. This paper investigates the impact of plant cover and dendrological structure of roadside green spaces in the area of Belgrade on the modification of air temperature and humidity in the immediate urban environment. The results and conclusions of this paper provide guidelines for the process of planning, management, design and establishment of roadside green spaces in order to adapt cities to climate change.