Abstract

Urban heat island effect has been the subject of numerous studies in recent decades in highly urbanized cities like Singapore. Most studies pointed out that ensuring enough greenery is a fundamental solution to mitigate the increasing urban temperature. Beyond the common quintessential results, studies on providing applicable landscape strategies at the micro level are seldom conducted. The research starts from the belief that the microclimatic data of built sites can be resources for designing cooler outdoor spaces. The existing park connectors, which are the most distinctive feature of manmade greeneries in Singapore, are recorded primarily by thermal measurement, and supplemented by visual notes of site conditions and additional microclimatic measurements where appropriate. The data obtained from this research highlights that the air temperature along the footpath is influential on the environmental quality of the space and that the cooling effect from greenery is significant, and can be improved by considering site orientation, location, and nodal points. Therefore, landscape designers should focus on tree canopy coverage by selecting appropriate vegetation and spatial configurations. Ultimately, all findings guide ways to optimize the cooling effect of park connectors, as well as serve to enhance the quality of urban landscape.