{
  "id": 16935501,
  "title": "A town-wide ‘living laboratory’ shows how green spaces can combat climate extremes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/a-town-wide-living-laboratory-shows-how-green-spaces-can-combat",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-28T17:01:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mongabay",
    "slug": "mongabay",
    "url": "https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/a-town-wide-living-laboratory-shows-how-green-spaces-can-combat-climate-extremes/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Stoke Park, a green space in the bustling town of Guildford, Surrey, is more than just a scenic destination for residents and visitors. This 52-hectare (130-acre) park, with its wildflower meadows, ornamental gardens, and diverse tree species, is also functioning as a \"living laboratory\" that combats climate extremes. Two recently published studies have revealed that Stoke Park’s green areas not only help reduce heat, pollution, and noise but also provide benefits that extend beyond the park’s boundaries.\n\nParks are known to be cool havens in urban areas, especially as the effects of climate change lead to rising temperatures. Previous research has shown that parks are significantly cooler than their surrounding areas and that they also tend to lower air pollution and noise levels. Furthermore, studies have found that air and surface temperatures can be reduced by tens or even hundreds of meters around green spaces, depending on the size of the park. However, most of this research has focused on just one benefit, such as health advantages, air pollution reduction, or overheating prevention.\n\nProfessor Prashant Kumar, co-director of the University of Surrey’s Institute for Sustainability and director of its Global Centre for Clean Air Research, highlighted the importance of holistic studies that examine the multiple benefits of green spaces. He emphasized that the field has largely been focused on individual benefits, rather than exploring the combined advantages of plants and ecosystems. This article was originally published on Mongabay.",
  "summary": "Stoke Park is a natural haven in a busy British town. Centered in Guildford, Surrey, its rolling fields pop with wildflowers in the spring; birds sing and ducks paddle serenely in a pond beside ornamental gardens; and the sun casts dappled shade on the grass from oak, spruce and beech trees, scattered across 52 hectares […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}