How do plants regulate city temperatures? – Cool City project meeting

The question posed in the title was addressed by participants of a mini-symposium held on 16 January 2026 at the W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences (IB PAS). The event was organised as part of the research project "Quantifying the impact of vegetation on urban temperature using remote sensing" (NdS-II/SP/0256/2024/01), funded under the "Science for society II" programme. The meeting brought together project team members, including researchers representing the natural sciences, engineering and landscape architecture, as well as PhD students and practitioners involved in urban green space management.

The discussions focused on the increasing intensity of the urban heat island effect and the role of urban greenery in regulating local climate. Particular attention was given to the integration of data collected at different spatial scales – from satellite observations covering the entire city of Kraków, through drone-based measurements and field studies, to processes occurring within individual plants. Participants examined how plant functioning translates into thermal effects across different types of urban development, which plant species have the greatest potential to cool cities, and which remain thermally neutral. An important topic was also the spatial distribution of greenery within the urban structure, its architectural context, and the modelling of relationships between vegetation and built-up areas, including simulations for selected parts of Kraków.

The meeting summarised research conducted in 2024–2025 and served as a starting point for planning the next stages of the project, aimed at developing practical recommendations for cities, green space managers and residents.

The speakers included: