Paper

Importance of Parking Afforestation with its Impact on the Local Microclimate

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Abstract

In urban areas, trees are generally not in the best conditions. This is particularly true for car parks near shopping centres. Paving, traffic, small tree pits and chemical pollutants do not let the roots grow properly. Also, vehicles can cause harm to the tree’s roots through compaction and the tree’s trunk, therefore the most valuable part of trees – the crown – cannot reach its expected size (Jim 1993). In addition, weakness pests, pathogens can appear more easily. This is particularly true in parking lots especially in front of malls, where maintenance would be the responsibility of the company.

The solution is to pay regular attention and to ensure stricter compliance with the law, but without improving the conditions in which trees are located, we will not be able to make a significant difference. Of the innovative solutions available on the market, based on foreign experience and numerous publications the suspended pavement system is the best solution. Although it requires a large financial outlay, the results show that it is definitely worth the investment. Because in a loose medium with a healthy soil life, protected from the compaction and vibrations provided by the root cell, the tree will grow much faster, become larger and healthier without changing the structure of the car park, thus the ecosystem services of the parking lot and human wellbeing will be much better (Ulrich 1991). The difference between the current and potential condition of the trees in the car park was examined by making an environmental model. This showed that larger, healthier trees can reduce the predicted mean vote (human thermal comfort) by 20-24 °C in the summer.

In our study, we present further assessments and solutions that provide tangible evidence of the need to make our busy environment more liveable. A nice, well-maintained car park with shade and green vegetation provides a more pleasant environment for shoppers who prefer to spend time in or around the shop (Wolf 2003).

Keywords: afforestation, parking lots, urban ecosystem, suspended pavements, root cell system

How to Cite:

Rujp, A., Szabó, K., Takácsné Zajacz, V. & Gergely, A., (2022) “Importance of Parking Afforestation with its Impact on the Local Microclimate”, Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning 7(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/3d1m-0285