It’s not easy being cool: Residents’ perceived cooling ability in relation to different types of green infrastructure in their neighbourhood

As a consequence of climate change, heatwaves are expected to become more frequent and severe, increasing the need for adaptive strategies by which individuals can reduce their heat exposure. One of those strategies entails visiting cool environments or ‘heat shelters’ outdoors. Green infrastructure (GI), such as street trees and parks, is widely regarded as an effective tool for cooling urban environments. However, its degree of usage as a heat shelter depends not only on its physical presence in the environment but also on residents’ perception of its ability to provide cooling. This study investigates the self-reported ability of residents in the Netherlands to find cooling during heatwaves and examines how this relates to the presence, type, and accessibility of GI in their neighborhoods. Our results indicate that respondents report limited ability to find cooling outdoors. However, GI in their neighbourhood is a key factor in improving this ability. Specifically, accessible greenness, particularly street trees, has the strongest positive effect, while public green spaces (e.g. parks) become more relevant at larger distances. Accessibility of GI plays an important role, as greenness in non-accessible locations has no significant effect. These findings highlight the importance of considering the type and accessibility of GI when designing heat adaptation strategies. • Assessed perceived ability to find cooling outdoors during heatwaves, in relation to green infrastructure. • Tree cover in accessible locations has the strongest effect on cooling ability. • Vegetation is more important than public green spaces (e.g. parks), except at larger distances (1000 m). • Planners should prioritize vegetation in accessible locations to enhance residents' heat adaptation.