Trees: a solution to cool cities?

Audio 48:30

African cities in particular, should accommodate 950 million inhabitants by 2050 according to the OECD and will be more exposed to extreme temperatures.

© iStock / ah_fotobox

By: Emmanuelle Bastide

50 mins

Climate change, population growth and urbanization represent a major challenge, especially for African cities.

Publicity

African cities are expected to accommodate 950 million inhabitants by 2050 according to the OECD and will be more exposed to extreme temperatures.

To fight against the phenomenon of heat islands, large metropolises have already started to revegetate spaces, but these cooling techniques are still under-exploited.

Can we reduce urban heat with trees?

Where to plant them and which species to choose?

With:

  • Philippe R

    ahm

    , architect, author of

    Natural history of architecture - How climate, epidemics and energy have shaped the city and buildings

    .

  • Philippe N

    iez,

     landscape gardener and designer, director of the landscape design agency Niez Studios. 

  • Scarlett Zongo,

     environmental and sustainable development technical advisor to the mayor of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso

And an exchange with

Nicolas Rocca

,

RFI correspondent in Seoul

.

The city of Seoul in South Korea has just launched an urban forest project to lower the city's temperature.

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  • Environment

  • Architecture and urbanism

  • Weather

  • Climate change

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