The Microclimatic Effect of Green Infrastructure (GI) in a Mediterranean City: the Case of the Urban Park of Ciutadella (Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract

The use and promotion of green infrastructure (GI) is of great importance for improving urban climates and for helping cities to be more resilient and sustainable in the context of climate change. For this reason, the effect of urban parks on city climates is of great interest for research. In this study, temperature measurements were made during 14 nights in the winter and spring of 2015 in the largest park of the Mediterranean city of Barcelona, Spain: the Ciutadella Park. The analysis of the measurements made inside the park and in its adjacent urban environment has confirmed the existence of an urban cool island (UCI) with a maximum cooling intensity of 5.2°C (9.4°F) in winter, under anticyclonic situations preferably, and an average cooling intensity of 2.7°C (4.9°F). In the spring months, the urban cool island has an intensity under the average, with a maximum of 2.1°C (3.8°F).