IIT Gandhinagar study calls for ‘smart greening’ to tackle rising urban heat

A research team from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar has called for a more scientific and climate-focused approach to urban greening, warning that indiscriminate tree plantation alone may not effectively reduce rising temperatures in Indian cities.

The study, conducted over 17 years across 138 Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, examined temperature patterns and green cover distribution to assess how urban vegetation impacts heat conditions.

The findings, published in the journal ‘Nature Communications’, suggested that urban greening efforts should be tailored according to local climate, infrastructure patterns, population density and ventilation needs rather than focusing solely on increasing plantation numbers.

The research was led by Udit Bhatia from the Department of Earth Science and Civil Engineering at IIT Gandhinagar, along with a team of research scholars, PhD candidates and post-doctoral researchers.

Apart from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, the study analysed several other Gujarat cities, including Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Gandhidham and Junagadh.

According to the study, Ahmedabad’s hot semi-arid climate, characterised by high temperatures and hot winds, requires a specialised urban greening strategy distinct from humid coastal cities such as Mumbai.

Researchers said there was a pressing need for “smart greening” in Ahmedabad, with plantations focused on identified urban heat hotspots rather than scattered or target-driven tree plantation campaigns.

The study recommended that civic authorities use heat index maps at a one-kilometre scale to identify priority areas for cooling interventions.

Researchers further suggested that simply planting trees would not be sufficient to reduce urban heat significantly. Instead, green cover should be planned according to climatic conditions, land availability, urban density and air circulation patterns.

The report particularly recommended increasing tree cover around schools, healthcare centres and bus stands to maximise cooling benefits in densely populated urban areas.