“There are things that landscape architects and urban designers can do to make cities cool, particularly during heat waves,” says landscape architecture professor Bob Brown in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development. A leafy canopy creates shelter from the sun's rays. Not only do they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, but they can also help keep urban areas cool.
See full article in At Guelph http://atguelph.uoguelph.ca/2013/07/trees-can-help-cities-beat-the-heat/ [1]
The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) brings together major academic fields concerned with creating strong communities, in Canada and around the world. The four highly respected programs in SEDRD share many common goals but approach them in different and complementary ways. This model reflects the imperatives in building authentic communities where planners, landscape architects, communicators, and citizens all play important interdependent roles in community strength.