Microclimate Simulations Reveal the Potential of Multifunctional Green Infrastructure for Urban Heat Mitigation

Microclimate Simulations Reveal the Potential of Multifunctional Green Infrastructure for Urban Heat Mitigation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Microclimate Simulations Reveal the Potential of Multifunctional Green Infrastructure for Urban Heat Mitigation Angana Borah, Sushobhan Sen, Udit Bhatia This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6070841/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Tropical cities endure extreme heat immediately before heavy monsoonal rainfall, creating compounding hazards that strain infrastructure and threaten public health. Although stormwater management typically relies on infiltration and retention, urban cooling requires shading and evapotranspiration, complicating dual-hazard strategies in dense, resource-limited settings. Here, we develop a high-resolution digital climate twin of a neighborhood in Ahmedabad, India, to examine how small-footprint green infrastructure (GI) interventions—traditionally aimed at flood control—can also mitigate heat. We show that bioretention cells covering only 3% of the area reduce peak daytime air temperature by up to 2,$^\circ$C and lower physiological equivalent temperature by 4–5,$^\circ$C, underscoring the importance of assessing thermal comfort rather than air temperature alone. Rather than large-scale urban overhauls, these findings indicate that modest, strategically placed GI can significantly lessen heat risks while retaining flood-mitigation functionality. Our results highlight the value of integrating microclimate perspectives in GI planning, offering a transferable framework for sustainable urban adaptation in rapidly growing, space-constrained regions worldwide. Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards green infrastructure urban adaptation thermal comfort microclimate Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files supplementaryMicroclimateSimulationsRevealthePotentialofMultifunctionalGreenInfrastructureforUrbanHeatMitigation.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6070841","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":423054679,"identity":"b99b1732-98d8-4a7f-b03d-da2befcaa3ca","order_by":0,"name":"Angana Borah","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Angana","middleName":"","lastName":"Borah","suffix":""},{"id":423054680,"identity":"faec2ce3-62fc-4ecd-8a45-74a5fba0343c","order_by":1,"name":"Sushobhan Sen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology 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