Abstract: Cities growth and anthropogenic activities change the landscape and increase the levels of CO2 concentration, contributing to severe environmental issues and climate change. The decline in green spaces and the use of heat-retaining materials in grey infrastructure affect thermal comfort and air quality, impacting the well-being of citizens. Faced with these challenges, it is necessary to understand how to plan cities adapted to climate change. This study aims to discover cool and clean air places within the community, assess the impact of different types of blue and green infrastructure on air quality and urban temperature, and evaluate public perception. To achieve these objectives, a questionnaire was administered to Guildford (United Kingdom) citizens to evaluate their knowledge of cooling, air pollution, and perceptions of cool and clean places in the town. Based on the answers were selected areas for monitoring covering five different types of urban spaces: green infrastructure, blue and gray infrastructure, green and gray infrastructure, green and blue infrastructure, and gray infrastructure (built environment) the answers were based on the least polluted, most polluted, coolest and the hottest places. The places are being monitored for 10 days, 3 times a day: morning peak – 8:00 to 9:30, off-peak – 12:30 to 14:00, and evening peak – 16:30 to 18:00, during December 2023 and January 2024. The data collection includes particulate matter 2.5, temperature, relative humidity, globe temperature, CO2 concentration, black carbon, and noise. Preliminary findings reveal a positive perception of green and blue infrastructure among citizens, although awareness of certain physical aspects remains low. Disparities were identified between perceived and actual pollution and temperature levels in urban green spaces. The study also shows that 45.16% of the public expressed curiosity about air quality issues. This ongoing study bridges the gap between public perception and environmental monitoring, providing valuable insights for evidence-based policies in sustainable urban planning. After measurements on the cool and clean air places the information will bring awareness and provide guidelines for healthier living environments in Guildford.

Keywords: particulate matter 2.5, black carbon, green infrastructure, blue infrastructure, air quality, citizen science.