Green networks as a key of urban planning with thermal comfort and wellbeing

This chapter discusses the interactions between vegetation and the urban environment to improve human thermal comfort as well as guarantee the well-being of people. A network of green spaces can promote well-being benefits, including recreation, healthy living, reducing flooding, improving air quality, cooling the urban environment, encourage-ageing walking and cycling, and enhancing biodiversity and ecological resilience. During the decision-making process, urban planning and design cannot be based only on qualitative criteria, quantitative analyses of the benefits associated with green networks need to be considered at the various scales of the urban form. The aim of this chapter is to present quantitative tools that can be used for the evaluation of urban thermal comfort at different scales of urban planning and design. The tools briefly described in this chapter consist in field measurements, field survey, analysis of real situations and future scenario analysis. In particular, ENVI-met model is employed for the detailed evaluation of future scenarios with case studies from Brazil and UK. Not only do these case studies demonstrate how green networks are able to make urban spaces more attractive, improving human experience, but also how green networks can play a fundamental role in promoting thermal comfort in cities.