Some studies use tree canopy cover alone as an indicator of cooling potential, but this paper asks a different question: Does the structure of vegetation, especially the vertical layering of plants, affect how much a park cools the surrounding urban area? A recent study by Antenucci et al. (2026) found that parks with greater variation in plant height, higher plant density, and vegetation distributed across multiple vertical layers produce significantly stronger cooling than parks with similar canopy cover but lower structural complexity. These findings highlight the importance of vegetation structure in shaping urban microclimates, offering an interesting parallel to approaches such as the Miyawaki method, which also emphasizes dense, diverse, layered vegetation.
Posted: March 13, 2026