Impact of the total area and spatial distribution of the green infrastructure on the urban heat island in the metropolitan region of São Paulo: a numerical study

Abstract

The prevalence of the number of edifications over the number of trees in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP) favors the intensification of its urban heat island (UHI). Raising the percentage of the vegetated area is one of the mitigation measures to tackle this urban issue. Nevertheless, the degree of dispersivity of these vegetated areas may have distinct effects on the UHI mitigation. Therefore, the scientific initiation project called "Impact of the total area and spatial distribution of the green infrastructure on the urban heat island in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo - a numerical study" aims to answer how the UHI in the MRSP is affected by different ratios of vegetated by built areas and by different patterns of spatial dispersivity for each vegetated bu built area ratio. Better understanding the impact of several green areas' spatial distribution patterns may help to conceive new ways of decreasing the average air temperature in the MRSP, which will improve their inhabitants' life quality. The UHI patterns related to each vegetated by built area ratio and green area dispersivity will be studied using mathematical equations and numerical modeling. It is hypothesized that the simulations with a greater green area dispersivity will show a less intense UHI among scenarios with the same vegetated by built area ratio.(AU)