Enhancing the climate resilience of Amsterdam quays: Simulating urban tree contributions

Description

This presentation examined how urban tree planting could enhance the climate resilience of Amsterdam’s historic canal quays by reducing pedestrian heat stress and improving thermal comfort. A validated ENVI-met microclimate simulation workflow was used to model narrow canal environments within Amsterdam’s UNESCO heritage zone under both typical summer and extreme heat conditions. The study assessed two scenario groups: variations in tree spacing (7-15 m) and variations in tree age class as a proxy for canopy extent. The results showed that wider tree spacing reduced shading and increased pedestrian heat exposure, with Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) increasing by 0.17-0.24°C for every additional metre of spacing. In contrast, mature elm trees provided the greatest cooling benefits, reducing PET by up to 3.74°C compared with young trees. The findings demonstrated that narrow canal geometries helped maintain cooling performance even where infrastructure and operational constraints required wider tree spacing. The presentation provided practical evidence to support climate-adaptive quay renovation and the integration of nature-based solutions within historic urban canal environments.

Period	31 Jul 2026
Event title	38th PLEA conference Costa Rica 2026: Common Sense Architecture
Event type	Conference
Location	San Jose, Costa RicaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International