I don't know about other EU urban centers but I feel this can be done with better street and square planning.
Narrowing roads so avenues/thoroughfares can be lined with trees, or better yet, move the avenues underground so the roof can be used for green public space. Using more green when renovating public squares. Moving (more) parking spaces underground.
My old home city of Antwerp recently renovated a bunch of public squares and instead of using the opportunity to reintroduce a lot of green, many of the squares are grey tiled or concrete wastelands that act like a blinding open grill in summer, with just a couple of new growth trees for show. A recent large new "park" is not much more than a giant grassland and concession stands with half a dozen trees, not much shade to be found.
breadedfishstrip t1_j6rb1ij wrote
Reply to comment by jough22 in Planting more trees could axe summer deaths by a third. Modelling of 93 European cities finds that increasing tree cover up to 30% can help lower the temperature of urban environments by an average of 0.4°C and prevent one in three heat deaths as a result. by MistWeaver80
I don't know about other EU urban centers but I feel this can be done with better street and square planning.
Narrowing roads so avenues/thoroughfares can be lined with trees, or better yet, move the avenues underground so the roof can be used for green public space. Using more green when renovating public squares. Moving (more) parking spaces underground.
My old home city of Antwerp recently renovated a bunch of public squares and instead of using the opportunity to reintroduce a lot of green, many of the squares are grey tiled or concrete wastelands that act like a blinding open grill in summer, with just a couple of new growth trees for show. A recent large new "park" is not much more than a giant grassland and concession stands with half a dozen trees, not much shade to be found.