Een park is de krachtigste airco van de stad

Tim

Goossens

Waar spendeer jij het liefst een warme zomerdag, op een hete parking of onder een boom in het park? Het antwoord lijkt vanzelfsprekend. Het verschil is echter groter dan je denkt. Per graad boven 20 °C verliezen we 2 tot 3% productiviteit. Daarbovenop sterven er jaarlijks duizenden mensen door extreme hitte.

Jarenlang werd dat probleem genegeerd. “Wat last van de warmte, dat hoort bij de zomer”, dacht men. Tot het de economie begon te schaden. Toch is er hoop. Er bestaan oplossingen. Eén daarvan is verrassend eenvoudig: meer parken in de stad. Uit mijn onderzoek blijkt dat een stadspark de gevoelstemperatuur met meerdere graden kan verlagen. Dat verschil maakt van een hete zomerdag opnieuw een leefbare dag.

Het hitte-eiland: waarom steden warmer zijn

Steden zijn meestal warmer dan hun omgeving. Dat heet het stedelijk hitte-eiland effect. Daar zijn meerdere oorzaken voor:

Weinig groen: zonder bomen of andere vegetatie ontbreekt schaduw en verdamping, waardoor de lucht sneller opwarmt.
Weinig water: fonteinen en vijvers zorgen door verdamping voor afkoeling.
Veel beton en asfalt: harde materialen slaan warmte op en geven ze langzaam weer af.
Dichte bebouwing: gebouwen houden warmte vast en blokkeren frisse luchtstromen.
Menselijke activiteiten: auto’s, fabrieken en airco’s produceren extra warmte.

Samen maken ze de stad een oven. Warmte stapelt zich op, ook ’s nachts, wanneer de stad eigenlijk zou moeten afkoelen. Daardoor ervaren steden vaak dubbel zoveel hittegolven als hun omgeving.

Thermisch comfort: meer dan een getal

Hoe warm we ons voelen, hangt niet alleen van de thermometer af. Ook wind, zonnestraling en luchtvochtigheid spelen mee. Stel je een zomerdag van 35 °C voor. Je staat midden in de stad, in de volle zon, zonder wind. Dat voelt onhoudbaar. Ga dan onder een boom met een briesje staan, en plots wordt het draaglijker.

Ook kleding en activiteit spelen een rol. Wetenschappers vatten al die factoren samen in thermische comfortindices. In mijn onderzoek gebruikte ik de Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET). Zie het als een soort wetenschappelijke gevoelstemperatuur: een getal dat vertelt hoe warm het voor mensen echt aanvoelt.

Van parking naar park: het verhaal van Zuidpark

Om mijn onderzoek tastbaar te maken, koos ik Zuidpark in Antwerpen als voorbeeld. Vijf jaar geleden was dit nog een grijze parking. Vandaag is het een groene oase met speelplekken, grasvelden en jonge bomen. In 2025 won het park de prijs voor beste publieke ruimte en de publieksprijs, een teken van zijn succes.

Maar de vraag bleef: maakt zo’n park de stad echt koeler en comfortabeler?

Om dat te onderzoeken, combineerde ik veldmetingen met computermodellen. In het park mat ik temperatuur, vochtigheid, wind en straling. Dat wekte veel nieuwsgierigheid. Voorbijgangers kwamen vragen: “Wat sta jij hier te doen?” Met grote ogen keken ze naar mijn zwartebolthermometer die zonnestraling meet. Ik legde enthousiast mijn onderzoek uit. Hun verbaasde blikken maakten duidelijk hoe weinig we weten over de meetbaarheid en oplosbaarheid van hitte in de stad. Net dat bewustzijn is cruciaal, want er is nauwelijks wetgeving dat ons beschermt tegen extreme hitte. Ondertussen zag ik hoe mensen intuïtief de koelte opzochten: iedereen zat onder de schaduw van de recent aangeplante bomen.

Daarnaast gebruikte ik ENVI-met, een model software dat het microklimaat in 3D simuleert. Daarmee kon ik drie scenario’s vergelijken:

Het verleden – toen Zuidpark nog een parking was.
Het heden – de huidige situatie met jonge bomen.
De toekomst – hetzelfde park, maar met volgroeide bomen.

De resultaten: bomen maken het verschil

De resultaten spraken voor zich. In vergelijking met de parking verlaagt het huidige park de gevoelstemperatuur (PET) gemiddeld met 1,2 °C tijdens hete zomerdagen. Dat lijkt misschien weinig, maar het kan het verschil maken tussen “sterke hitte” en “extreme hitte”.

Het toekomstscenario met volgroeide bomen liet nog sterkere effecten zien: gemiddeld 4,6 °C verkoeling. Dat is het verschil tussen ondraaglijk en leefbaar.

Daarbovenop zijn niet alle zones in het park even koel. Onder bomen is het merkbaar aangenamer, terwijl open grasvelden of sportterreinen nog altijd flink opwarmen. Het toont aan dat slimme indeling en strategische boomaanplant cruciaal zijn.

Waarom dit ons allemaal aangaat

Hitte in de stad is geen luxeprobleem. Het gaat over gezondheid, economie en rechtvaardigheid.

Gezondheid: in de zomer van 2023 stierven bijna 48.000 mensen in Europa door hitte. Vooral kwetsbare groepen zoals ouderen, kinderen en personen met een laag inkomen lopen gevaar.
Economie: hittestress kost miljarden door productiviteitsverlies.
Rechtvaardigheid: niet iedereen heeft een tuin, zeker niet in de stad. Publieke parken zorgen ervoor dat ook mensen zonder privégroen verkoeling vinden.

De keuze is duidelijk: investeren in groen en water, of onze inwoners letterlijk laten stikken in de hitte.

Van scriptie naar beleid

Mijn onderzoek bevestigt wat stadsplanners en bewoners al lang aanvoelen: bomen zijn geen decoratie, maar levensredders. Een volwassen boom is een natuurlijke airco die dag na dag koelt, zonder stroom te verbruiken. Hij biedt schaduw, tempert hitte en geeft ons letterlijk ademruimte.

Bomen hebben echter meer nodig dan een begin: ze hebben ruimte en tijd nodig om te groeien. Waar nu parkeerplaatsen liggen, kunnen binnen tien jaar koelte-oases ontstaan. Waar gebouwen nu de wind blokkeren, kan slimme stadsinrichting frisse lucht laten doorstromen. Zuidpark bewijst het: in enkele jaren tijd veranderde een grijze vlakte in een plaats waar kinderen spelen, vrienden picknicken en bewoners verkoeling vinden.

Conclusie: elke boom telt

De hittegolven van de toekomst zijn al onderweg. Dat betekent echter niet dat we machteloos zijn. Elke tegel die eruit gaat, elke boom die geplant wordt, elke fontein die water laat verdampen, helpt onze steden leefbaar te houden.

Mijn onderzoek toont aan dat parken meer doen dan mooi zijn. Ze verlagen temperaturen, redden levens en geven ademruimte aan wie geen tuin heeft. Een stad zonder groen is een oven. Een stad met groen is een ontmoetingsplek, een speelruimte en een adempauze.

Tijdens mijn metingen in Zuidpark zei een voorbijganger: “Het is hier nu al zoveel aangenamer dan vroeger. Stel je eens voor dat al die bomen groter zijn.” Dat beeld blijft hangen, want het vat de essentie samen: de stad van morgen hoeft geen oven te zijn, maar kan een koelte-oase worden.

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