Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

As heat waves intensify, posing significant threats to human health, ecological integrity, and overall urban resilience, city living becomes increasingly challenging. High levels of impervious surfaces exacerbate temperature extremes, while the loss of biodiversity diminishes natural cooling capacities. Recent European restoration policies emphasise the urgent need to create healthier environments for both people and ecosystems, offering a strategic opportunity to integrate ecological rehabilitation into urban heat mitigation efforts. This research investigates the role of landscape architecture in addressing urban heat stress through innovative design and planning strategies that simultaneously enhance resilience and restore novel ecosystems.

This study employs a multi-method approach to explore the intersections of urban heat mitigation, ecological restoration, and landscape planning. The medium-sized city of Lleida, located in northeastern Spain, serves as the case study due to its semi-arid, continental climate and extensive rural-urban interface. The analysis combines geospatial data from Landsat-8 to generate a land surface temperature [LST] heat map with on-site explorations and localised assessments of cooling island compositions. The ESTER 2.0 tool is used to evaluate ecosystem services and compare patch compositions, contributing valuable insights into effective urban cooling strategies.

Findings reveal significant temperature variations of up to 13°C across the urban fabric, with tree-covered areas demonstrating the most pronounced cooling effects. In contrast, industrial zones, abandoned plots, and agricultural fields emerge as critical heat sources. The study underscores the importance of water availability, topography, and landform configurations in facilitating cooling mechanisms such as evapotranspiration and airflow. Jack Ahern’s (2011) resilience framework is applied to propose a heat-resilient network that aligns with geomorphological structures, promoting strategic connectivity between existing and rehabilitated green-blue infrastructures. Multiscalar, modular interventions — integrating tree-dominated systems, wind corridors, and sustainable water management — are identified as essential for mitigating urban heat while enhancing ecosystem functionality. However, knowledge gaps persist concerning the characterisation of referent habitat for rehabilitative practices and the potential role of xeric landscapes in urban heat resilience, necessitating further investigation research.

This research highlights the critical role of landscape planning and design in mitigating heat stress and fostering urban resilience. To address the increasing frequency of extreme heat events, planners and designers must adopt a holistic, multi-scalar approach that integrates ecological restoration with adaptive urban strategies. Collaborative efforts between policymakers, ecologists, and local communities are essential to developing sustainable, site-responsive interventions that reduce heat stress and contribute to the long-term ecological and social health of urban environments.