Urban Microclimate Modelling For Comfort And Energy Studies

​​This book discusses urban microclimate and heat-related risks in urban areas, brought on by the combination of global climate change effects and local modification of climate determined by extensive urbanization such as the ‘Urban heat island’ phenomenon. This matter is relevant to almost all urbanized areas in the world, where the increase of urban population and air temperature is expected to endanger both the overall health of the population and the energy supply for the functioning of urban systems. The book details the inter-relationship between urban morphology, microclimate and building energy performance and presents a multidisciplinary approach that brings together Urban Climatology, Engineering and Architectural knowledge to support the development of reliable models and tools for research and practice. This book is a useful tool for architects and building energy modelers, urban planners and geographers who need a practical guide to realize basic urban microclimate simulation for use in both academic research and planning practice.

The quality of life of millions of people living in cities could be improved if the form of the city were to evolve in a manner appropriate to its climatic context. Climatically responsive urban design is vital to any notion of sustainability: it enables individual buildings to make use of renewable energy sources for passive heating and cooling, it enhances pedestrian comfort and activity in outdoor spaces, and it may even encourage city dwellers to moderate their dependence on private vehicles. Urban Microclimate bridges the gap between climatology research and applied urban design. It provides architects and urban design professionals with an understanding of how the structure of the built environment at all scales affects microclimatic conditions in the space between buildings, and analyzes the interaction between microclimate and each of the elements of the urban landscape. In the first two sections of the book, the extensive body of work on this subject by climatologists and geographers is presented in the language of architecture and planning professionals. The third section follows each step in the design process, and in part four a critical analysis of selected case study projects provides a demonstration of the complexity of applied urban design. Practitioners will find in this book a useful guide to consult, as they address these key environmental issues in their own work.

This book provides the reader with an understanding of the impact that different morphologies, construction materials and green coverage solutions have on the urban microclimate, thus affecting the comfort conditions of urban inhabitants and the energy needs of buildings in urban areas. The book covers the latest approaches to energy and outdoor comfort measurement and modelling on an urban scale, and describes possible measures and strategies to mitigate the effects of the mutual interaction between urban settlements and local microclimate. Despite its relevance, only limited literature is currently devoted to appraising—from an engineering perspective—the intertwining relationships between urban geometry and fabrics, energy fluxes between buildings and their surroundings, outdoor microclimate conditions and building energy demands in urban areas. This book fills this gap by first discussing the physical processes that govern heat and mass transfer at an urban scale, while emphasizing the role played by different spatial arrangements, manmade materials and green infrastructures on the outdoor microclimate. The first chapters also address the implications of these factors on the outdoor comfort conditions experienced by pedestrians, and on the buildings’ energy demand for space heating and cooling. Then, based upon cutting-edge experimental activities and simulation work, this book demonstrates current and forthcoming adaptation and mitigation strategies to improve the urban microclimate and its impact on the built environment, such as cool materials, thermochromic and retroreflective finishing materials, and green infrastructures applied either at a building scale or at the urban scale. The effect of these solutions is demonstrated for different cities worldwide under a range of climate conditions. Finally, the book opens a wider perspective by introducing the basic elements that allow fuel poverty, raw materials consumption, and the principles of circular economy in the definition of a resilient urban settlement.

The book comprehensively investigates the relationship between critical urban form and fabric parameters and urban microclimate in the high-rise urban environment that prevails in Asian megacities such as Shanghai. It helps readers gain a deeper understanding of climate-responsive urban design strategies and tactics for effectively mitigating the negative impacts of deteriorating urban thermal environments on pedestrian thermal comfort, outdoor air quality and building energy consumption. It also reviews the latest advances in urban climate research, with a focus on the challenges in terms of outdoor space comfort, health, and livability posed by the high-rise and high-density development in emerging Asian megacities, and proposes an integrated framework in response to the pressing need for microclimate research. It then presents a series of studies on high-rise residential and non-residential urban neighborhoods and districts based on instrumented field study, validated numerical simulation, and spatial analysis using a GIS platform. The book includes extensive, valuable experimental data presented in a clear and concise manner. The thermal atlas methodology based on empirical modeling and spatial analysis described is a useful climate-responsive design tool for both urban designer and architects. As such, the book is of particular interest to researchers, professionals, and graduate students in the fields of urban planning and design, building science and urban climatology.

Urban Microclimate provides readers with the means to measure and model the urban thermal environment with clear guidelines on how to use this data to mitigate against changing climate conditions and severe thermal stress in urban areas, particularly hot, humid regions. All stages of the urban thermal environment are addressed, describing urban microclimates and why they affect the environment and human body, how to acquire the underlying data and quantifiably identify thermal stress hot spots in urban areas, and how to cool cities through planning and design approaches. In Part I, the underlying theoretical and conceptual science behind urban climatology and meteorology is discussed in detail, including surface energy balance, the urban heat island effect, thermal comfort, and human stress effects. In Part II, clear instructions are presented on how to conduct urban microclimate measurements, remote sensing methods, microclimate modelling, and different instrumentation. Finally, Part III translates this information into practical guidance on how to mitigate against changing climate conditions and severe thermal stress in urban areas, providing concepts, design, and technique with clear and concise instructions, supported by detailed case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of each method. Urban Microclimate is an ideal reference and guidebook for Environmental Researchers, Environmental Engineers, Meteorologists and Climate Scientists, as well as Social Scientists. Explains the fundamental concepts of urban climatology and meteorology Presents instructions on how to conduct microclimate measurements, modelling, and remote sensing in urban environments Addresses key microclimatic issues in hot, humid regions through detailed case studies Provides clear and practical guidelines for the implementation of climate change-mitigating design solutions

This book highlights the importance of outdoor thermal comfort for improving urban living quality in the context of urban planning and urban geometry design. It introduces readers to a range of assessment methods and applications of outdoor thermal comfort and addresses urban geometry and thermal environment at the neighbourhood scale using real-world examples and parametric studies. In addition, the subjective evaluations by urban dwellers and numerical modelling tools introduced in this book provide not only a comprehensive assessment of outdoor thermal comfort but also an integrated approach to using thermal comfort indicators as a standard in high-density cities. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable guide for urban climate researchers, urban planners, and designers, and policymakers pursuing more liveable urban environments.

Global Urban Heat Island Mitigation provides a comprehensive picture of global UHI micro-thermal interaction in different built environments. The book explains physical principles and how to moderate undesirable consequences of swift and haphazard urban development to create more sustainable and resilient cities. Sections provide extensive discussion on numerous UHI mitigation technologies and their effectiveness in cities around the globe. In addition, the book proposes novel UHI mitigation technologies and strategies while also assessing the effectiveness and suitability of UHI mitigation interventions in various climates and urban forms. Adopts a multidisciplinary approach, bridging theoretical and applied urban climatology with urban heat mitigation Compiles disparate urban climate research concepts and technologies into a coherent framework Includes contributions from leaders in fields from around the globe

The book reviews and reports the recent progress and knowledge on the specific impact of current and projected urban overheating as well as of the urban mitigation technologies on mortality and morbidity and urban vulnerability. It presents recent data and developments on the topic reported by some of the more distinguished researchers in this area. In parallel, it discusses new findings related to the characteristics and the magnitude of urban overheating and reports and analyzes the recent knowledge on the synergies between urban heat island and heatwaves. This book helps to advance our understanding on the interaction between Urban Heat Island (UHI) and overheating as well as their impact on energy demand and public health globally. Exploring the interaction between UHI and energy consumption requires the understanding on the dynamics of UHI intensity and air pollution index in different land use and how such interactions may vary in different cities in the world. Moreover, this book focuses on different cities in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Asia, Spain, UK, and USA.