Linear Parks along Urban Rivers: Perceptions of Thermal Comfort and Climate Change Adaptation in Cyprus

This study investigated the positive effects of green space along urban rivers particularly with regard to urban heat islands and flood resilience.

A questionnaire survey on visitor’s satisfactions regarding the services of a recently developed green space along the phemeral Pedieos River in the urban area of Nicosia, Cyprus, has been conducted. Although micrometeorological measurements only showed limited cooling effects the majority of the visitors were satisfied or very satisfied with the cooling effect of the park. The discrepancy between the observed thermal comfort and the visitor’s perceptions shows that people in semi-arid environments are adapted to hot conditions. Most people visit the park mainly for physical activity and exercise (67 %), some because of nature (13 %) and only view (4 %) visit the park for cooling reasons. However, urban green river corridors are an important component of urban adaptation strategies and further research is needed to access all key ecosystem services such as flood protection, air quality regulation or biodiversity conservation.