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Showcasing Urban Trees for Environmental Education with
IoT Technology. SUTEE is an ERASMUS+ Strategic Cooperation Partnership in the field of school education project.
One of the most overheated spots in urban areas are commercial centres, supermarkets, and outdoor shopping malls. Flat open roofs and large parking lots bare of any shade mark the concrete wasteland of such urban features. Additionally, a high volume of traffic adds to the footprint of these spaces. Up until now, no regulatory legislation has been passed to force developers or operators to provide for measures against urban heat islands.
Figure 1. Typical parking area of suburban shopping centres (Google Street View)
One Austrian supermarket chain has now started an interesting pilot development at one of their stores. According to its white paper (Begrünungshandbuch – Greening Manual), the new redesign of the store area is quite comprehensive and includes certified timber construction, renewable energy through solar panels and provisions for electric mobility. Planned greening elements are tree canopies, grass patches, vertical and roof gardens.
From a SUTEE perspective this initiative is laudable and a showcase for others to follow. More tree canopy on the barren parking lots together with other greenery, will help reduce CO2 levels and heat exposure. And shoppers too benefit from shaded vehicles and moderate surface temperatures.
Figure 2. Plan of green pilot supermarket and car park.
