Melbourne, Australia, is taking a multi-pronged approach to address urban heat islands through its Urban Cooling Strategy. Here's a breakdown of some key elements:
Increasing Urban Green Infrastructure:
Planting trees and vegetation is a major focus. Melbourne has a goal of planting 3,000 trees annually to expand its urban forest canopy.
Projects like "Greening the Pipeline" transform exposed parklands and paths into green spaces, creating shade and lowering local temperatures.
Encouraging Cool Roofs and Reflective Surfaces:
The strategy acknowledges the benefits of cool roofs in reducing heat absorption by buildings. While there aren't city-wide mandates yet, financial incentives and informative resources are offered to promote their adoption.
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD):
This approach aims to manage stormwater runoff in a way that benefits the environment. Techniques like rain gardens and permeable pavements can help cool urban areas by retaining and evaporating water.
Policy and Planning:
Melbourne's government is committed to a whole-of-government approach to cooling the city. This involves collaboration between different departments and agencies.
They're working on developing regional targets, setting guidelines for green infrastructure in new developments, and creating data to track progress.
Here are some resources where you can learn more about Melbourne's Urban Cooling Strategy:
City of Melbourne - Cooling Our City:
https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/abo...-our-city.aspx
Planning Victoria - Cooling and Greening Melbourne:
https://www.melbournewater.com.au/wa.../urban-cooling
Melbourne Water - Urban Cooling:
https://www.stormwatervictoria.com.a...nititative.pdf
These resources provide details on specific projects, data, and the overall goals of the strategy.