GREEN INTERVENTIONS TO MITIGATE THE EFFECT OF URBAN HEAT ISLAND

Abstract

Due to undergoing urbanization trend worldwide, distance between city inhabitants and nature is increasing. Urban areas being economically diversified attract ample of migrants making for a burgeoning population. This is more prevalent in the developing countries such as India. Gurugram, a city in the Indian state of Haryana and a part of National Capital Region (NCR) of India has been going through rapid urbanization in the past decade. The paper is concerned about the notorious effect of urbanization, that is the heating of the local climate in comparison to the surrounding rural areas, creating a phenomenon known as the ‘Urban Heat Island’ (UHI). Physical Characteristics of the city and the increasing graph of population are the major causes of UHI, which in turn is increasing energy demand and making the cities most vulnerable. The aim of the study is to integrate green interventions as remedial measures to mitigate impact of UHI. Green interventions are proving themselves factual in maintaining urban energy balance by dissipating the extra amount of heat and in making urban environment resilient. A case study methodology is adopted for the study. This study includes understanding the role of green interventions in mitigating the effect of UHI and to compare the executed interventions in two of the cases of Munich and Stuttgart, two major cities in Germany. The focus of the study is to find out the best possible interventions to implement in specific regions of Study (Gurugram). Urban space is more than a collection of buildings and incorporate the factors responsible for causing UHI. Therefore, there is necessity of generating urban spaces in a manner which are themselves sufficiently resilient. The idea of the study is to integrate green space in urban areas to make the cities more sustainable and resilient.