Research in Context
Urban Trees and Climate Resilience
Cities around the world invest in trees for enhancing their climate resilience. Large projects of new tree plantings and efficient management and preservation of existing trees are among the policies that are pursued by municipalities and metropolitan areas.
A small park with diverse tree species in the city of Athens. In front of a complex of embassies (Chatzigianni Mexi Street).
The National Garden in Athens hosts a large number of exotic and native tree species.
Image credit: Vaso Timonidou 2025
Urban trees mitigate the effects of Urban Heat Islands (UHI).
Tree canopy over a route for pedestrians. Jacarandas, Persian silk tree and silky oaks. (borough of Dafni-Hymettos).
Image credit: Vaso Timonidou 2025
Urban trees also provide protection against heavy rainoff and flood.
Upcoming storm in a coastal area of Athens. A linear park with palms, carob trees and tamarisks (Notos Coast in Voula).
Strategic plans and guidelines are developed on the basis of utilizing the benefits of urban trees. Scientific institutions and local government entities in large cities and metropolitan areas are collaborating to that effect.
However for trees to perform to the full of their potential and provide shade and cooling in the urban environment, they have to be able to cope with the new conditions. The question arises which tree species will be adapted to the extreme high temperatures and frequent incidents of flooding. Which in turn leads scientists and green spaces managers to new challenges. The current increased investments and budget allocations for producing plant material for new plantings has to be safeguarded with making the right choice of species or ecotypes.
The need for tree population diversity in the city has been a goal for green spaces management for the past decades. However in most cities this objective has not been realized. As climate change has induced more disease or pest outbreaks, there is now a more pressing urgency for diversification.
Recent editions of strategic plans for policies on urban trees in the cities of Paris, Barcelona and London.
RECOMMENDED READING
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. 2025.
Trees Make Cities More Climate-resilient and People Happier. Two KIT Studies Show How Urban Greening Affects Microclimate, Flood Risk and Quality of City Life". Press Release
https://www.kit.edu/kit/english/pi_2025__030_trees-make-cities-more-climate-resilient-and-people-happier.php
National Public Radio. 2025.
"Faced with rising temps, Las Vegas is embracing a simple climate solution: More trees."
Article by Yvette Fernandez.
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/09/nx-s1-5340363/las-vegas-climate-change-solution-trees
National Public Radio. 2025.
"In Seattle, preserving trees while increasing housing supply is a climate solution."
Article by Bellamy Pailthorp.
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/11/nx-s1-5340711/climate-urban-housing-trees
PAPERS
Maribel Carol-Aristizabal, Jérôme Dupras, Christian Messier, Rita Sousa-Silva. 2024.
“Which Tree Species Best Withstand Urban Stressors? Ask the Experts”.
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) Jan 2024, 50 (1) 57-75.
https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2023.026
BOOKS
Darricau, Yves. 2022
Des arbres pour le futur : mémento du planteur pour 2050
Arles: Editions du Rouergue
Sjöman, Henrik, and Anderson, Arit. 2023.
The Essential Tree Selection Guide: For Climate Resilience, Carbon Storage, Species Diversity and Other Ecosystem Benefits.
London: Filbert Press
MASTER PLANS AND GUIDELINES
Ville de Paris. 2023.
“Tout savoir sur l'arbre à Paris.”
Updated on May 30, 2025.
https://www.paris.fr/pages/l-arbre-a-paris-199
Barcelona, The City Council. 2017
“TREES FOR LIFE Master Plan for Barcelona’s Trees 2017 - 2037”
Greater London Authority. 2025
London.gov.uk - Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
“London Urban Forest Plan 2025 - Actions Update”
City of Sydney. 2023.
Urban forest strategy
https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/strategies-action-plans/urban-forest-strategy
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7f2afc51620241b29915e51dbb34b69d (ArcGIS StoryMaps.)