Cooling Our Cities Cooling Our Cities Planting trees is an attractive strategy both for saving money through energy efficiency and for improving the quality of life in urban areas.
Urban summers are hot and getting hotter.
Data collected over the last century clearly show an increase in inner cities' temperatures since buildings and pavement began replacing agricultural land near urban areas. This trend may be costing your municipality money, because temperature increases in urban areas dramatically impact cooling costs. In Washington, D.C., for example, air conditioners typically run for about 1300 hours each year. Reducing city cooling loads can provide significant environmental and economic benefits for your community. This fact sheet focuses primarily on the use of trees as a method of cooling urban areas.