Integrating Urban Heat Assessment in Urban Plans

Abstract

The world is increasingly concerned with sustainability issues. Climate change is not the least of these concerns. The complexity of these issues is such that data and information management form an important means of making the right decisions. Nowadays, however, the sheer quantity of data is overwhelming; large quantities of data demand means of representation that are comprehensible and effective. The above dilemma poses questions as to how one incorporates unknown climatologic parameters, such as urban heat, in future urban planning processes, and how one ensures the proposals are specific enough to actually adapt cities to climate change and flexible enough to ensure the proposed measures are combinable and compatible with other urban planning priorities. Conventional urban planning processes and mapping strategies are not adapted to this new environmental, technological and social context. In order come up with more appropriate urban planning strategies, in its first section this paper analyzes the role of the urban planner, reviews the wide variety of parameters that are starting to be integrated into the urban planners practice, and considers the parameters (mainly land surface temperature, albedo, vegetation, and imperviousness) and tools needed for the assessment of the UHI (satellite imagery and GIS). The second part of the study analyzes the potential of four catalyzing mapping categories to integrate urban heat into spatial planning processes: drift, layering, game-board, and rhizome.

Examining the Association between Physical Characteristics of Green Space and Land Surface Temperature: A Case Study of Ulsan, Korea

“…We have focused on a general assessment of the thermal effects that may be useful for urban planners [41]. Our results suggest that there are certain features of green spaces that can be recommended to reduce LSTs and mitigate UHIs in concrete locations.…”

The Impact of Morphological Features on Summer Temperature Variations on the Example of Two Residential Neighborhoods in Ljubljana, Slovenia

“…From the viewpoint of the user, it is very important to know who the area is intended for as "parking lot building materials are known to create a heat island effect" [35] (p. 69). Despite the lack of parking spaces in both neighborhoods, surface materials also affect air overheating (paved surfaces) [36], as in the case of pathways and cycling trails in TRN and MRN, particularly the use of asphalt for paths, while this is less evident in MRN where concrete paving is only used in W-E direction. In the case of Koseze, TRN and MRN, transport roads and car park areas, as elements of overheating, are excluded.…”

Remote Sensing Techniques for Urban Heating Analysis: A Case Study of Sustainable Construction at District Level

“…Overall, the analysis confirms how the understanding of the SUHI variation requires the evaluation of both city planning factors (green surface, roadway and building design) and physical parameter behaviour (albedo, heat transfer and air circulation) [49].…”