"We're planting vines in the old city because we hope that in two or three years we'll be able to brag that this has put an end to stifling temperatures, said Jesus Rodriguez, president of Los Emparrados, a group of residents who aim to beautify and green the city's streets. For decades the local sherry producers have kept their wineries cool with emparradors (vine arbours) but now the practice has been extended to a cluster of streets in the old town."
"Not only are vines part of the essence of Jerez, they also have several advantages over trees. They need to be watered only in the first two years and they are deciduous, letting in the winter sun between November and March. Within three years of planting they will form a complete canopy over a narrow street. Just a single vine stem growing up the side of a house can offer a lot of shade."
Jerez de la Frontera has installed grapevine canopies along narrow old-town streets to reduce street-level temperatures by up to 8°C. The vines, based on a non-fruiting Vitus riparia variety, require watering only during the first two years and are deciduous, allowing winter sunlight between November and March. Single stems can create significant shade, and sherry houses have used emparradors for over 60 years to keep cellars cool, producing canopies of about 60 square metres. A pilot of four streets will expand to 20, linking 14 parks and green spaces across 1.5 square miles.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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