i-Tree
Trees are seen as the air conditioners of our cities, but precise data on how and how much they cool - and then over their life cycle - are very poor. This lacks scientifically substantiated tools that governments, consultants and industry can use to quantify the climate benefits of urban trees and translate them into policy and planning. The three-year research project i-Tree 2.0-NL develops accurate key figures for Dutch urban trees and translates them into databases, application software and 'orgware'. One of the most important benefits of trees for the city is thus scientifically substantiated and integrated into urban planning and design practice. Specifically, the project focuses on the following goals:
- developing an innovative view of urban trees from the perspective of tree architecture, in order to arrive at an effective way of analysing, classifying and quantifying a large number of species with regard to their cooling effect.
- accurate measurement data of different tree types in relation to their cooling effect, over their life cycle.
- integration of these key figures in the existing i-Tree software, for use in Dutch cities and cities in similar climate zones.
- developing new methods and applications of the i-Tree tool, at the interface of government, science, industry and society, with which innovative solutions can be found for planning and design practice and for the use of trees in places, neighbourhoods and cities for the benefit of climate adaptation.
- awareness of the need for climate adaptation in cities, and the special role of trees in this.
- contribution to the development of i-Tree software as a scientific benchmark for quantifying and modelling urban trees with regard to their climate adaptation benefits.
Project budget €811,573 with €398,573 PPS surcharge being used.