The aim of this master’s thesis is to investigate how nature-based
solutions, particularly blue-green infrastructure, can contribute
to mitigating urban heat islands while simultaneously enabling
the regeneration of degraded urban areas. The area along Roška
Street in Ljubljana is examined as a case study.
The selected study area is a degraded urban space that has
undergone several changes in land use over time. It is characterized
by underutilized urban surfaces, fragmented land use, and weak
functional connectivity. The area is located at the intersection
of Roška Street, Kapusova Street, and Mesarska Street, at the
transition between a denser residential neighborhood and the
green corridor along the Ljubljanica River. Despite the presence
of green areas, many parts of the site are poorly maintained
or abandoned, including former parking lots, ambiguously
defined paths, overgrown edges, and underused plots with non-
functional structures. Ljubljana, with approximately 290,000
inhabitants, is exposed to flood and seismic risks due to its
basin location and is increasingly affected by heat waves driven
by climate change (Fikfak, 2021). Therefore, understanding the
influence of spatial and environmental factors on the formation
of urban heat islands is of key importance.
The theoretical part of the thesis addresses blue-green
infrastructure and its ecological and climatic functions. This is
followed by an analysis of the spatial and climatic context of
Ljubljana and the study area, revealing a lack of shade, surface
overheating, and inadequate stormwater management. The
concluding section presents a design proposal for the sustainable
transformation of the area through the integration of blue-green
infrastructure aimed at improving the microclimate and overall
living comfort.
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