This project will evaluate the impact of urban heat and pollution islands in Leeds using in-situ measured data from the urban canopy layer
£37.5k
NERC funded
Photo by Maximilian Zahn on Unsplash
Existing knowledge suggests that treescapes can help to regulate overheating and air pollution in our cities. There is a need to measure these impacts to provide policymakers with robust evidence that can support the protection and expansion of urban treescapes. These types of measurements are however complex and need to be carried out over long periods of time.
In this fellowship, Dr Jim Parker will use data from a large existing network of environmental sensors across the city of Leeds to understand in more detail the role that treescapes have on the atmosphere we live in and will share resultant knowledge with key stakeholders that will influence the UK’s future treescapes.
By consolidating relationships between Leeds Beckett University, the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council, it will also help to demonstrate the role that anchor institutions can play in large urban areas and complex city-scale issues, and how these relationships can have a positive impact on the cities we live in.
Dr Jim Parker specialises in building energy modelling and the urban environment. He manages externally funded research projects, collaborates with industrial partners and supports undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students. Dr Parker has been involved in a broad range of research projects, including environmental monitoring in urban environments, with a particular focus on urban heat islands, air quality and the impact of urban green space. In addition, Jim has been involved in projects that have developed offsite manufacture systems for low energy buildings, overheating mitigation in future climate scenarios, energy management systems in the non-domestic sector, performance analysis of district heating systems and green infrastructure deployment in urban environments.
Twitter: @leedsbeckett
Website: leedsbeckett.ac.uk/research/leeds-sustainability-institute
Dr Jim Parker, Leeds Sustainability Institute
University of Leeds and Leeds City Council