h am phd student in environmental design and my research point about thermal performance of open urban space in business park and energy consumption in building around it
as in general urban fabric, green spaces reduce temperature because they provide shadow, they absorb solar radiation and they can create a sort of filter (as canopy, etc.). Currently, business park use to be a sort of cluster of buildings sorrounded by parking surfaces, where the continous exposition to solar radiation create a sort of heat island, which influences the internal temperature of the buildings and the comfort of users. For this reason I would suggest you to focus on this kind of problem and consider open urban spaces as those element which can have a strong impact on the quality of life of inhabitants and on the energy consumptions. Other interesting issue is related with the water and all those experiences where open spaces act as filter and permeable surface for this spaces, which allow to the water to flew on the water table.
For this reason I would like to suggest you a book edited by charles whaldeim "Landscape urbanism reader"
For me was a great inspiration and an useful tool to face off the issue.