Stuttgart
One of the best examples of heat island management in the world is in Stuttgart.
Photo by bastian_r
Because of its location the German city has historically had problems with air quality. Climate-based planning has been carried out since 1938, with areas protected for unimpeded air flow to improve air quality and reduce the urban heat island.
A series of wind paths have been designated across the city that allow cooler mountain air to flow into the heart of the city. No new building is allowed in an area designated as part of a wind path. In addition, the felling of trees of a certain size in inner city areas is banned, and as a result, greenery covers more than 60 percent of the city.
In Cities and Natural Process, Michael Hough argues that ‘on both a citywide and human scale, the parks and working landscapes within and surrounding Stuttgart are among the most climatically functional, socially useful and aesthetically pleasing of any modern city in the Western World’.
CABE and Urban Practitioners
with the cities of Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield