A strategic approach for climate change adaptation via urban green infrastructure at neighbourhood scale

Cities are especially vulnerable to climatic extreme events like heat and heavy rain. Those impacts are projected to increase in magnitude and frequency under future climate change. To cope with, urban planning needs to foster adaptation measures. Traditional, hard infrastructure measures are often perceived as expensive and inflexible. In addition, competition for urban space makes it difficult to introduce new infrastructure that serves only single objectives of risk reduction. Therefore, urban green infrastructure (UGI) has gained increasing attention as a nature-based solution to climate change adaptation that provides multiple benefits. However, UGI’s adaptation potentials still lack quantitative assessments, particularly, when it comes to the provision of multiple benefits. Moreover, strategies need to be developed to implement multifunctional solutions in intensively used built areas.
Against this background, this study aims to increase our understanding of the regulating effects of different UGI settings under a future climate change scenario as well as their co-benefits. The study contributes to the research project “Climate mitigation and urban green infrastructure” and is part of the “Urban Ecology and Climate Adaptation” programme funded by the Bavarian Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection. Scenarios of trees and green roofs are modelled by two simulation approaches, a microclimatic and a hydrological one, for a densely built-up inner city area in Munich, Germany. The scenarios’ effects on outdoor thermal comfort of pedestrians and the regulation of surface runoff are compared to each other. Not least, the study explores how additional UGI can be implemented in the case area to simultaneously enhance two more ecosystem services - biodiversity and open space quality for the residents. Finally, synergies and trade-offs between the assessed ecosystem services are discussed to support urban planners in decision-making for effective climate change adaptation while generating co-benefits for biodiversity and quality of open space at the same time.