Exploring spatial heterogeneity for land use and local climate zones interactions using multi-resolution analysis

Abstract

Recently, the nexus between urban microclimate, outdoor and indoor thermal comfort, the following linked urban energy demands, and the corresponding CO2 emissions footprint has garnered significant attention from both the scientific community and individuals responsible for decision making. The need to establish a low-carbon society and reduce human impact on the environment requires the consideration of potential environmental consequences associated with urban form changes in cities, particularly in relation to planning and development strategies. The World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) collects information on the physical geographies of urban areas worldwide for the benefit of the scientific community. This study proposes a novel methodology on how to translate geographically-based information through the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification, into a complete gridded numerical information for atmospheric numerical modeling or multi-resolution post-treatment. This is done so that numerical modelers will be able to make use of and capitalize on the vast amount of data that is available to them. In order to examine the relationship between the urban form and the CO2 emissions footprint, we used the Metropolitan London area as a case study. In addition, the Principal Component Analysis was used to investigate the connection between the type of urban development and the amount of CO2 emissions. The key conclusion of our analysis suggests that sparser arrangement of buildings, as indicated by lower λ⁠p values, is associated with a decrease in CO⁠2 emissions. Moreover, the potential of this study lies in utilizing the materiality of individual buildings and their corresponding energy requirements to achieve energy efficiency, which aligns with the objectives of WUDAPT Level 1 and 2.