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A new study by Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) researchers found that while urban greening remains essential to reduce heat stress, cities need smarter and more climate-responsive planning to ensure that tree cover delivers maximum cooling benefits.
The study analysed 138 Indian cities between 2003 and 2020 across tropical savanna, semi-arid steppe and humid subtropical climates. The researchers found that the cooling benefits of vegetation can vary significantly depending on humidity, canopy density, urban compactness and airflow conditions.
The findings also carry strong equity implications. Researchers noted that the communities most exposed to dangerous heat often live or work in dense and poorly ventilated neighbourhoods with limited access to cooling infrastructure. Better-designed urban greening could help reduce long-term heat vulnerability for these populations.
The findings were published in Nature Communications (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-72636-w), a peer-reviewed, open-access journal from Nature Portfolio that publishes high-quality research across the natural sciences, engineering, and related fields. The paper was authored by Angana Borah, Adrija Datta, Ashish S. Kumar, Raviraj Dave and Udit Bhatia from IIT Gandhinagar.
Highlighting the key findings, Corresponding Author of the study Dr. Udit Bhatia, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Gandhinagar, said, “Greening is essential for climate adaptation and shade gives people immediate relief. Our results show that one-size-fits-all plantation targets miss part of the problem. Cities need greening strategies that are designed for shade, moisture and ventilation together.”
Lead author Dr. Angana Borah, Research Graduate, IIT Gandhinagar, added, “The question is not whether cities should be green. They should be. The question is what kind of green, where and how much. In dry cities, vegetation can provide strong cooling benefits. In humid and compact neighbourhoods, planners also need to think about airflow and moisture build-up.”
The study highlights that Indian cities need integrated urban cooling strategies where shade trees, parks, roadside plantations, open spaces and ventilation corridors are planned together. In humid and dense neighbourhoods, factors such as species selection, canopy spacing, pruning, irrigation and street geometry could all influence how effectively greenery reduces heat stress.