Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect has become one of the most significant hazards for cities, presenting a challenge for dense anthropic areas affected by climate change with enormous consequences for health and human well-being. Ecosystem Services (ES) are increasingly attracting attention for their use in setting urban design parameters and criteria which can be deployed in planning and projects, also considering the Cooling Capacity (CC) useful to mitigate heatwaves effect and high temperatures.

The paper investigates how ES assessment could support the definition of urban design parameters influencing the CC of cities. We modelled CC in the city of Milan using InVEST software identifying the urban design criteria that most influence temperature and associated urban comfort. This empirical test was conducted by selecting different urban districts built during four main historical periods which correspond to four urban planning approaches, namely: 1) Città Berutiana; 2) Città Moderna; 3) Città anni ‘60-'70 and 4) Città Contemporanea. Results demonstrate how different urban planning approaches have shaped the design of the city in terms of green areas, permeability, built-up footprint, and tree density and cover while influencing the CC of the system.

城市热岛效应已成为城市最严重的危害之一，对受气候变化影响的人口稠密的人类地区构成挑战，对健康和人类福祉造成巨大影响。生态系统服务（ES）在设置可用于规划和项目中的城市设计参数和标准时越来越受到关注，并考虑到制冷量（CC）有助于缓解热浪效应和高温。

The paper investigates how ES assessment could support the definition of urban design parameters influencing the CC of cities. We modelled CC in the city of Milan using InVEST software identifying the urban design criteria that most influence temperature and associated urban comfort. This empirical test was conducted by selecting different urban districts built during four main historical periods which correspond to four urban planning approaches, namely: 1) Città Berutiana; 2) Città Moderna; 3) Città anni ‘60-'70 and 4) Città Contemporanea. Results demonstrate how different urban planning approaches have shaped the design of the city in terms of green areas, permeability, built-up footprint, and tree density and cover while influencing the CC of the system.