New study shows city parks keep surrounding streets cooler, cleaner and quieter

A new GP4Streets study led by researchers at the University of Surrey has shown that the benefits of city parks stretch well beyond their green boundaries. By measuring temperature, air pollution and noise around Guildford’s Stoke Park, the team found that nearby streets were significantly cooler, cleaner and quieter compared with more built‑up areas further away.

These real-world measurements confirm that parks act as “everyday climate infrastructure” for cities – protecting people from heat, improving air quality and reducing traffic noise for hundreds of metres around them. The findings support calls for more – and better connected – green spaces to be built into future urban planning.

The work forms part of the GP4Streets project, which is exploring how greener streets and parks can make cities healthier and more resilient to climate change.

You can read the full open‑access paper here:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cacint.2026.100407