The idea is based on the proven scientific fact that tree lined streets with light coloured paving are up to 9 degrees cooler than those without trees. It's funny how things stick with you. I remember on many occasions mentally comparing the back streets of Mooloolaba with Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast and wondering how decisions to plant trees in streets get made. Noosa has trees in abundance and is noticeably cooler than Mooloolaba, which has some trees along the foreshore and pretty much none in the streets behind, where it always seems to be searingly hot in summer. (I notice because it makes you wonder why the council aren't all over it. Surely a cooler resort would attract more tourists.) Adelaide airport recently planted a pile of lucerne around the airport after a SA Water 3 year study proved that air temperatures drop by several degrees when the ground is grassed.Street Coolers share research and demonstrate how local, simple actions and affordable solutions can cool streets by growing trees for shade, changing roads and harvesting rainwater. We recently published an article by Gauri Marni on DIY Street Verges that was part of Street Cooler's work, which now sees councils literally paying Sydney siders to green their verges. Street Coolers say:"OUR RESEARCH SHOWS THAT UNSHADED ROADS ARE MEASURED TO BE 9°C WARMER THAN SHADED ROADS, AND HIGHER TEMPERATURES DAMAGES PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUTS PRESSURE ON THE ABILITY FOR EXISTING FLORA AND FAUNA TO FLOURISH IN THE AREA. THE ADDITIONAL COST OF THOSE HIGHER TEMPERATURES IS AT LEAST $41 MILLION A YEAR IN SYDNEY ALONE."Michael Mobbs and his team literally measured the temperatures in different streets to set benchmarks. One example in Newtown, Sydney, Mobbs compared Buckland Street, which had dark pavement but the coolest ambient summer temperatures against Myrtle Street which had light pavement and limited tree cover. Buckland Street was cooler and it’s tree canopy cover was 64% compared to Myrtle Street tree cover at 6%'. Even though lighter pavements reflect heat better than dark, the tree canopy was key to the significant temperature difference. The principals behind street cooling are well documented globally, starting with the initial observation that rural areas were typically cooler than urban. This observation gave rise to the term 'Urban Heat Islands' and works like this:
Coupling canopy with light pavements significantly cools streets, and while this is part of Street Canopy's plan, many councils now run masterclasses for residents on how to cool their cities, educating residents to help themselves. Check your council website. You can access Michael Mobbs full initial report and grant submission here. There is a pile of great resources on Street Cooler website. You can apply for an Environmental Levy Grant at council. And Michael Mobbs, it would literally be uber cool if you could the Mooloolaba council too!?