Impact of Parks Cool Island Effect on Urban Heat Islands and Public Health on Jabalpur City (2015 - 2025)
This study analyzes the cooling potential of Jabalpur's urban parks from 2015 to 2025 using satellite data, revealing that while parks significantly mitigate urban heat islands and improve public health, their cooling effectiveness is driven more by geographical location than size, with a noted decline in the correlation between park size and cooling intensity over time.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Cities are often hotter than the countryside, a phenomenon scientists call the urban heat island effect. This happens because cities are packed with materials like concrete and asphalt that soak up the sun's energy during the day and release it slowly at night, while the lack of plants means there is no natural shade or moisture to cool the air. In contrast, parks and green spaces act as natural air conditioners; trees provide shade, and the water released by leaves through a process called evapotranspiration helps lower the temperature. As cities around the world grow rapidly, replacing fields and forests with buildings, understanding how these pockets of greenery function becomes a matter of public safety, especially for vulnerable groups like the elderly and outdoor workers who face higher risks of heat-related illness.
Researchers Pradyut Kumar Mondal and Rambooshan Tiwari from Banaras Hindu University set out to measure exactly how much cooling urban parks provide in Jabalpur, a major city in central India. They focused on the years 2015, 2020, and 2025, using satellite images to track the surface temperature of the ground across the city and within fourteen of its largest parks. By comparing the heat radiating from the built-up city streets against the heat radiating from the parks during the same moments, they could calculate the specific cooling power each green space offered. Their work reveals that while parks are undeniably effective at lowering temperatures, their ability to cool the surrounding area is not just about how big they are, but also where they are located and how healthy their vegetation remains.
The data painted a clear picture of the city's thermal struggle. During the peak summer months of May, the city's surface temperatures soared to extreme levels, reaching as high as 44.31°C in 2020 and 43.18°C in 2025. In these same months, the parks provided a significant refuge, with surface temperatures dropping to 36.36°C and 37.73°C respectively. This created a temperature gap of up to 8°C between the city streets and the parks, a difference substantial enough to make the outdoors feel manageable rather than dangerous. The cooling effect was not limited to the hottest days; even in the cooler months of February and November, the parks consistently remained several degrees cooler than the surrounding urban landscape, offering a more comfortable environment year-round.
However, the study uncovered a complex relationship between the size of a park and its cooling power. While it is true that larger parks generally cool better, the researchers found that this rule is not absolute. In 2020, the size of a park explained a large portion of its cooling performance, but by 2025, that connection had weakened significantly. This suggests that other factors have become more important over time. The location of a park relative to the dense city center and the quality of its vegetation appear to be just as critical as its total area. For instance, a smaller park situated in a hot, dense part of the city might provide more immediate relief to its neighbors than a massive park on the outskirts. The study also noted that the overall health of the city's green cover has been declining, with satellite data showing a reduction in vegetation density and an increase in bare, heat-absorbing surfaces between 2015 and 2025.
The implications of these findings extend far beyond temperature readings. The researchers emphasize that the cooling provided by these parks is a direct public health intervention. By keeping temperatures lower, these green spaces help prevent heat stress, which can lead to severe dehydration, kidney damage, and even death, particularly for the elderly and those without access to air conditioning. The study highlights that the dense canopy of trees in parks can block the majority of incoming solar heat, keeping the air beneath them significantly cooler than the streets. Beyond physical health, these spaces offer a sanctuary for mental well-being, reducing stress and providing a safe place for physical activity. The authors conclude that for cities like Jabalpur to remain livable as they continue to grow, urban planning must prioritize not just the creation of new parks, but the strategic placement and ecological maintenance of existing ones to ensure they continue to function as vital cooling islands for the community.
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