Green spaces critical to urban planning
Published:Friday | July 28, 2023 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Architect and conservationist Patricia Green wrote an insightful column in The Sunday Gleaner of July 23, ‘Are newer buildings increasing carbon footprint’, which I hope many will read. She addressed issues concerning the rapid development of high-rise buildings in the city and the decreasing numbers of green spaces and lack of a ‘green plan’.
Jamaica has experienced some hot temperatures as well. We need more awareness and policies implemented to protect the earth in the shift in climatic patterns. Global warming is very real. Urban density in cities can have an impact on the environment in many ways.
As she pointed out, properties with lush green spaces and trees are being rezoned and developed into high-rise with high densities and building heights. Building cities without consideration for trees and green spaces will be detrimental. Concrete is known to magnify the effects of heat, it is a thermal mass that absorbs heat and re-radiates it into the air later. Schemes with slab-roof houses are known for their indoor heat. We hope city planners are not only looking at infrastructure and safety with development projects, but also considering environmental issues in a major way that can help to minimise the negative impact. As cities become dense with more residential towers being built, there will be an impact on traffic, water, electricity and other services. Density will also mean more inhabitants, more pollution and waste to manage.
Environmental studies have shown that cities with more green spaces stay cooler. Trees anchor the soil, aiding with the retention and natural life cycle of water which seeps below the earth and aids with cooling, as it flows back into rivers, springs, lakes, etc. Trees also ‘sweat’, creating moisture in the air, cooling the atmosphere. Trees help to produce rainfall, reportedly as much as seven per cent more, compared to areas void of trees. We need more green spaces. Reports have also cited health risks of gas stoves as it relates to cancers. Unlike Canada and United States and parts of Europe, gas stoves are mostly used in Jamaica due to the high cost of electricity. Gas stoves can release carbon monoxide and harmful pollutants in the air which can be toxic.
Ventilation in these spaces is critical, as it is believed that indoor air is five to seven times more polluted than outdoors, and use of gas indoors is a major contributor. As it stands, Jamaica still relies heavily on non-renewable energy. We must continue to explore renewable options, such as solar energy, water, wind, biomass energy, to balance our overdependence on non-renewable energy.
I don’t think any one factor will have a significant effect on reversing the unusual patterns of climate change. However, the combined efforts aimed at reducing pollutants and increasing available green spaces and trees, must be a priority to help combat the negative effects of climate change.
P. CHIN