Benchmarking Tree Canopy in Sydney's Hot Schools
BENCHMARKING TREE CANOPY IN SYDNEY’S HOT SCHOOLS OCTOBER 2020 WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY AUTHORS Sebastian Pfautsch, Agnieszka Wujeska-Klause, Susanna Rouillard Urban Studies School of Social Sciences Western Sydney University, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia With respect for Aboriginal cultural protocol and out of recognition that the campuses of Western Sydney University occupy their traditional lands, the Darug, Tharawal (also historically referred to as Dharawal), Gandangara and Wiradjuri people are acknowledged and thanked for permitting this work in their lands (Greater Western Sydney and beyond). This research project was funded by Greening Australia. SUGGESTED CITATION Pfautsch S., Wujeska-Klause A., Rouillard S. (2020) Benchmarking tree canopy in Sydney’s hot schools. Western Sydney University, 40 p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26183/kzr2-y559 ©Western Sydney University. www.westernsydney.edu.au October, 2020. Image credits: pages 18 and 23 ©Nearmap, other images from istock.com. 2 Western Sydney University Urban parks and school yards with adequate vegetation, shade, and green space have the potential to provide thermally comfortable environments and help reduce vulnerability to heat stress to those active within or nearby. However, in order to provide this function, outdoor spaces, including parks and schoolyards, must be designed within the context of the prevailing urban climate and projected future climates. JENNIFER K. VANOS (ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL, 2015) westernsydney.edu.au 3 WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY SUMMARY This project identified the 100 most vulnerable schools to heat in Greater Western Sydney using a newly developed Heat Score. The Heat Score combines socio-economic information that captures exposure, sensitivity and adaptivity of local communities to heat with environmental data related to surface and air temperatures of urban space.
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