International Journal of
Advanced Multidisciplinary Application

Volume 3, Issue 7

• Author(s)Rajesh Venkataraman, Sophie L. Beaumont, Ifeanyi C. Okonkwo
• AffiliationDepartment of Urban Planning & Environmental Design, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
• Page No.41-46
• Volume, Issue & YearVolume 3, Issue 7, July 2026
• Published On2026/07/05
• JournalInternational Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Application (IJAMA)
• ISSN No.3048-9350

Abstract

Rapid urbanisation — with 68% of the global population projected to reside in cities by 2050 — intensifies urban heat island (UHI) effects, stormwater flooding, air pollution, and health inequity, particularly in the Global South where infrastructure deficits intersect with climate vulnerability. Green infrastructure (GI), defined as strategically planned networks of natural and semi-natural systems including urban forests, green roofs, bioswales, constructed wetlands, and community parks, represents a multifunctional adaptation strategy capable of simultaneously addressing ecological, public health, economic, and social equity objectives. This multidisciplinary study integrates remote sensing analysis, epidemiological modelling, cost-benefit assessment, and environmental justice mapping across 22 cities in Asia, Africa, and Europe (combined population 87 million) to quantify GI performance across these dimensions. Thermal remote sensing analysis (Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS, 2015–2024) confirms a significant inverse linear relationship between green cover percentage and mean surface temperature (r = −0.91, β =−0.38°C per 1% green cover). Epidemiological analysis of 14 years of heat-related hospital admission data (n = 224,000 admissions) reveals that a 10-point increase in the Green Infrastructure Index reduces heat-related admissions by 31 per 100,000 population (β =−3.10, p < 0.001). Benefit-cost ratios for GI interventions range from 2.8x (cool pavements) to 3.6x (urban forestry) over a 20-year appraisal horizon. Environmental justice analysis reveals a systematic inverse correlation between neighbourhood income quartile and GI access (12% vs 54% for lowest vs highest income quartile), with a corresponding UHI intensity gap of 3.2°C. These findings provide a quantitative basis for integrated GI policy frameworks that simultaneously advance climate resilience, public health, economic efficiency, and spatial equity.

Keywords: urban green infrastructure, urban heat island, climate adaptation, environmental justice, public health, stormwater management, cost-benefit analysis, remote sensing, urban ecology, sustainable cities

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