Natural Solutions to Combat Urban Heat and Noise Islands: Investigation of Earth-Sheltered Buildings, Green Roofs and Urban Plantations

Meltem Sarul; Filiz Bal Koçyiğit; Çağrı Yılmaz

doi:10.38027/mediterranean-cities_vol5no1_5

Authors

Meltem Sarul Faculty of Fine Art Design and Architecture, Department of Architecture, Atılım University, Ankara, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9752-1389
Filiz Bal Koçyiğit Faculty of Fine Art Design and Architecture, Department of Architecture, Atılım University, Ankara, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4191-0724
Çağrı Yılmaz Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Department of Electronics and Automation, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2976-1044

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38027/mediterranean-cities_vol5no1_5

Keywords:

Urban Heat Island; Urban Noise Island; Earth-Sheltered Building; Green Roof; Green Wall.

Abstract

This review article presents a structured set of building and city-scale solutions that simultaneously mitigate the impacts of Urban Heat Island (UHI) and Urban Noise Island (UNI). 61 peer-reviewed articles published between 1981 and 2025, were examined in terms of their thermal and acoustic performances. Articles were selected by systematic keyword searches in databases with defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. In the article, building-scale strategies like green roofs, green walls, earth-sheltered buildings and blue-green infrastructures such as parks, forests, rain gardens, water bodies were considered together. According to quantitative data, green roofs and green walls can reduce surface temperatures by up to 26.9^oC, indoor air temperatures by up to 11.3^oC, and urban noise by 9.5 dB. When afforestation is added to these strategies, air temperatures in densely populated urban areas can be reduced by 5.48%. In addition to environmental benefits, nature-based solutions also have benefits related to energy efficiency, urban aesthetics, and public health. This study highlights research gaps and problems encountered in practice with a new dual-focus approach and offers suggestions for future studies. At the same time, it contributes to a framework that supports science-based, scalable urban planning approaches by bringing together thermal and acoustic benefits in a new synthesis.

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