Since there are no currently active contests, we have switched Climate CoLab to read-only mode.
Learn more at https://climatecolab.org/page/readonly.
Skip navigation
Share via:

Pitch

Addressing UHI by integrating the use of vegetation,Ecoroofing, and increasing the pervious pave ways in Cambridge city Massachusetts.


Description

Summary

UHI is a nuisance in cities in both developed and developing nations. To address this, it needs collective efforts of all the concerned stakeholders of any Municipality and councils. Many ideas exist that have been proposed to mitigate this problem but when implementing one, it needs to not only bring to an end to the menace but also address ways of filling the gaps that have not been addressed before.

This requires bringing fresh and novel ways to tackle UHI by bringing together and accelerating synergy of the previous and current technologies for proper mitigation effort to be realized. We are proposing a technology of increasing the albedo in Cambridge city by encouraging the adoption of ecoroofing technology, adoption of solar power, carpooling and planting Vines in back yards and neighborhood to provide cooling when the heat island is strong.

Vines take a short period of time to grow as compared to the normal tree cover in the city. Some species of vines are able to attach themselves to the walls of building and houses, contributing to the cleaning of indoor air pollution by releasing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide which is causes climate change.

Eco-roofing will require to plant a special species of grass in the roof tops of our homes to absorb excess and extra UV rays before reaching the ground or encourage the roofing of homes and buildings with more reflective materials which when finely fitted with the solar panels, solar will be captured to provide power during the peak demand of electricity.

The Vine trees will provide cooling through transpiration. The swaying of vines attached to the walls gives homes this co-benefit. Augmentation of vegetation and reduction of impervious surface cover in urban environments can be achieved through residential and municipal vine tree planting programs, addition or expansion of ecoroofs, and implementation of pervious pavements.

 


Category of the action

Adaptation


Who will take these actions?


What are other key benefits?


What are the proposal’s costs?


Time line


Related proposals


References

Mitigation of Urban Heat Islands- Recent Progress and Future Prospects.