Microclimates and Cities

Cities create their own climate, the urban heat island. Concrete and asphalt soak up solar radiation by day and release it at night, leaving urban areas 1-3 degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside.

That extra heat can fuel stronger storms: warm city air rises in powerful updrafts that trigger intense afternoon downpours, a pattern noted over large cities like Tokyo.

Parks and trees act as natural air conditioners, and a single large tree can cool the air around it as effectively as several small AC units. Cities like Singapore now treat green roofs as essential climate infrastructure, not just decoration.