Prague will support the transformation of inner blocks. More greenery will lower the temperature in the city
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“When the entire inner block needs to be well shaded by trees, it is common to achieve a difference of more than ten degrees in the perceived temperature,” describes Pavel Krč from the Academy of Sciences, who models waves in the city.
We open on the computer scientific article on summer nights in Prague 6, at which Pavel Krč, in truth, First, they collected data in the vicinity of Vítězné náměstí about what material the surface is made of. Then they measured it and a detailed model was created.
“There is only the surface temperature, under the trees here we see 20 degrees Celsius, the hot spots on the roofs of some buildings go up to 50 or even 60 degrees.”
Greenery as automatic air conditioning
It can be seen on the model that the green inner blocks are captured in blue, so they are much cooler than the surrounding streets. In addition, trees help them by preventing the buildings from absorbing sunlight and then spreading the heat to the surroundings.
According to Pavel Krč, the inner blocks, if they were all green, could also reduce the temperature in the city. One example is the inner block in lower Vršovice. We are standing on the third floor balcony. The inner block, which cools the surrounding houses, is dominated by large willows and other trees that reach the height of the six-story tenements.
“If you have trees and mature greenery, you’ve won, because you’ve also got automatic air conditioning for your home,” adds Michal Křivohlávek, director of the Bieno association, which deals with the transformation of inner blocks.
According to him, at least half of the total number of inner blocks would deserve a transformation. Architect Kateřina Eklová from the organization Rethink Architecture agrees with this. He reminds that they are often used for parking, but this does not have to be an obstacle either.
“For example, the parking lots can be covered with an awning that is covered with greenery, and suddenly we have an ecological function.”
In addition to trees, climbing plants can also cool houses. The municipality would like to launch a subsidy program designed specifically for inner blocks as soon as possible, so that a greater number of them are greened.