The Nude City

Urban heat island effect, Terra satelliteThere’s a strong case to be made for trees in the city because air conditioning is one of our chief demands for new power plants.

The urban heat island is a serious challenge. There so much excess heat in our cities that the Terra satellite found the growing season is at least two weeks longer than farmland.

Cooling Los Angeles by 4 degrees by planting trees over 5 percent of a city and re-coloring black rooftops would have the same effect as turning all our vehicles into electric cars!

This is so huge, nothing else compares.

The University of Manchester calculated that a mere 10% increase of green space reduces temperature by as much as 4°C – the predicted rise from global warming!!

Our cities are being planned for greater density, favoring a reduction in commute distances, but increasing demand for lighting and air conditioning while stripping trees from parks, residential lots and open space.