A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
More than 80% of the population in developed countries live in urban areas. Urban-area developments in the past century have led to major changes in land use and, what is even more problematic, it also affects the physical, chemical and biological processes occurring in the nature. One of the most obvious consequences of urbanization is the appearance of microclimatic conditions, described by the intensity of an urban heat island, and the specific air flow patterns in urban neighbourhoods that influence the thermal response of the urban environment as well as the spread of air pollutants. These conditions are a consequence of construction technologies, built materials and modern lifestyle, including the increasing levels of energy use and anthropogenic pollution. Sustainable architectural and urban planning can contribute significantly to the mitigation of urban heat islands and increased urban biodiversity, while improving the indoor environment’s quality and the energy efficiency of buildings. In this chapter the phenomena of the urban climate are described and techniques for the mitigation of an urban heat island are presented. The empirical models and the dedicated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools for modelling the thermal response of the urban environment are shown. The mitigation of urban heat islands and street canyons with the use of vegetated building structures, greened building blocks and city parks is discussed.
More than 80% of the population in developed countries live in urban areas. Urban-area developments in the past century have led to major changes in land use and, what is even more problematic, it also affects the physical, chemical and biological processes occurring in the nature. One of the most obvious consequences of urbanization is the appearance of microclimatic conditions, described by the intensity of an urban heat island, and the specific air flow patterns in urban neighbourhoods that influence the thermal response of the urban environment as well as the spread of air pollutants. These conditions are a consequence of construction technologies, built materials and modern lifestyle, including the increasing levels of energy use and anthropogenic pollution. Sustainable architectural and urban planning can contribute significantly to the mitigation of urban heat islands and increased urban biodiversity, while improving the indoor environment’s quality and the energy efficiency of buildings. In this chapter the phenomena of the urban climate are described and techniques for the mitigation of an urban heat island are presented. The empirical models and the dedicated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools for modelling the thermal response of the urban environment are shown. The mitigation of urban heat islands and street canyons with the use of vegetated building structures, greened building blocks and city parks is discussed.
Urban Environment and Local Climate
Springer Tracts in Civil Engineering
Medved, Sašo (author)
2021-10-02
20 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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