Appropriate microclimate design for urban parks is important, as it impacts on thermal comfort and thereby influences the utilization of outdoor spaces by the public. Modifying the vegetation arrangement can improve the microclimate, especially under hot season conditions. However, it is difficult to measure microclimatic variations in the individual components within a park. Therefore, we combined in-situ measurements and a three-dimensional microclimate model ENVI-met, to examine variations in the microclimate of an urban neighborhood park in Seoul, Korea. Different vegetation arrangements were investigated with respect to their effects on microclimate and thermal comfort on a typical summer day. The study showed that: 1) the simulated results of ENVI-met were similar to the observed data, with an index of agreement of 0.69–0.88; 2) green spaces with multi-layered and dense canopy cover provided the most comfortable conditions. However, the cooling efficiency of vegetation may decrease when the plantation is too dense; and 3) the main factor affecting thermal comfort in the hot season was mean radiant temperature. The findings of this study provide useful information to guide planning of vegetation arrangements in future urban park designs.

Street trees in urban areas have positive impacts on the environment, such as climate regulation, air purification, and runoff mitigation. However, the ecosystem services (ES) provided by street trees at the parcel level remain a notable gap in the existing literature. This study quantified the ES benefits provided by street trees at Jiangsu University in Zhenjiang, China, which could represent the parcel level. A widely applied model, i-Tree Eco, was used to evaluate the ES, including carbon storage, carbon sequestration, pollutant removal, rainwater runoff reduction, and their economic value. We also analyzed how these are affected by the structure of tree species. The results revealed that the 10 most abundant species accounted for 84.3% of the total number of trees, with an unstable structure of species composition. A reasonable age proportion was important since a lower proportion of young trees may make future benefit outputs unstable. The annual economic value provided by ES was USD 205,253.20, with an average of USD 79.90 per tree. Platanus orientalis had the highest single plant benefit, indicating that the management pattern of street trees could be adapted in different environments to maximize benefits. Thus, street trees at the parcel level should receive more attention with strategic planning and management in order to maximize the ES and their economic value.