Simulating tree planting scenarios for shade and cooling in Honolulu

Investigate how adding trees to an urban area could increase pedestrian shade and reduce local air temperatures in Honolulu's public spaces, where residents need cooler, shaded areas for walking, waiting for public transportation, and outdoor activities during extreme heat.

The study will focus on one selected park or walking area in Honolulu, using NOAA tree-canopy and impervious-surface maps, airborne LiDAR, building data, and satellite imagery. QGIS and UMEP Shadow Generator will compare the shaded area under existing conditions with hypothetical scenarios involving different numbers and arrangements of additional trees. ENVI-met will simulate how these scenarios could change near-ground air temperature using existing weather observations and documented vegetation and soil parameters.

Expected outputs include maps of hypothetical planting arrangements, additional shaded area (m²), shaded percentages, and modeled air-temperature differences (°C).