A new report by climate charity Possible and the University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy has detailed how reclaiming kerbside parking could unlock much-needed space to cool and shade London’s most tree-deprived and heat-vulnerable neighbourhoods.

In recent weeks, London has experienced yet more record-breaking temperatures and climate change-induced heatwaves. Some of London’s unshaded streets reached a dangerously high 57 degrees centigrade during the last heatwave.

Trees are one of the most effective interventions to keep urban temperatures within manageable limits during more frequent and severe heatwaves, with research from the World Resources Institute showing they can improve thermal comfort by as much as eight degrees compared with tree-less streets. But one of the biggest challenges to planting more of them on London’s streets is finding the space to do so.

Many of London’s streets can’t accommodate trees on their narrow pavements without hindering access for pedestrians and wheelchair users, and a large proportion of space on those same roads are taken up with car parking, despite less than 50% of Londoners owning cars.

This is a social justice issue as much as it is a climate issue; not everyone feels the impact of high temperatures equally. 19 of the top 30 local authorities in the UK with the most high-risk neighbourhoods for heat impacts are London boroughs, with people of colour being four times more likely to live in a priority neighbourhood for adaptation than white people. Higher deprivation goes hand-in-hand with higher vulnerability to extreme heat in London.

The GLA’s recently published Heat Ready London plan sets out a clear objective to expand tree cover and green space in areas of high cooling and shading need, delivering long-term cooling and shade and shaded routes, seating and parks that remain usable during high temperatures.

A handful of London boroughs are already leading the way, reallocating car parking for trees and other green infrastructure to make their streets more climate resilient. But the practice is still far from widespread, and there are many more examples of trees being squeezed onto already overcrowded footways, adding to pavement clutter and hindering accessibility.

There are several challenges to implementing kerbside greening but the report outlines case studies that prove just how transformative these schemes can be.

In Newham – one of the UK’s most heat-vulnerable boroughs – Possible worked with local residents in three high-priority neighbourhoods to map out visions for a fairer use of street space. In focus groups, communities shared their experiences of living through heatwaves in their local neighbourhoods, and their aspirations for cooler, greener, shadier, safer and more sociable streets. There is strong appetite for this, which is why Possible is recommending that local authorities engage with residents in the most heat-vulnerable neighbourhoods and prioritise kerbside greening where possible.

Carolyn Axtell, Kerbside Greening Manager at climate charity Possible, said:

“With record-breaking heatwaves and temperatures reaching an all-time high these last few months, it is clear that London’s streets are on the front line of the climate crisis.

“And yet, the potential of the kerbside is being overlooked and ignored, putting the most tree-deprived and heat-affected Londoners at risk.

“We have space right outside people’s front doors that we are underusing, which could provide shade and cooling to the neighbourhoods that need it the most. Our streets should feel more like places for people to be rather than places to drive through.”