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Journal ArticleDOI

The city and urban heat islands: A review of strategies to mitigate adverse effects

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a review of recent research on the urban heat island as well as of the strategies that can be applied to mitigate its adverse effects, such as green spaces, trees, albedo, pavement surfaces, vegetation, building types and materials.
Abstract: Cities occupy 2% of the earth's surface but their inhabitants consume 75% of the world's energy resources. Under certain conditions, the heat from solar radiation and different urban activities can make city temperatures rise in certain areas, simply because of the way in which a city is structured. This effect is known as the urban heat island (UHI). This article provides a review of recent research on the urban heat island as well as of the strategies that can be applied to mitigate its adverse effects. Such strategies can be applied in the project design phase of urban planning and thus directly affect city temperatures on a local scale. The elements analyzed in this paper include green spaces, trees, albedo, pavement surfaces, vegetation, as well as building types and materials. The discussion of this research clearly reflects the impact of urban morphology on local temperatures and how urban design can be modified to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. This study is useful for professionals who are responsible for decision-making during the design phase of urban planning.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined published literature on neighbourhood air quality modifications by green interventions and provided a better understanding of the interactions between vegetation and surrounding built-up environments and ascertain means of reducing local air pollution exposure using green infrastructure.

563 citations


Cites background from "The city and urban heat islands: A ..."

  • ...Furthermore, previous reviews have focused on the benefits of urban infrastructure such as urban heat island mitigation from trees (Gago et al., 2013), thermal performance of green facades (Hunter et al., 2014) and energy aspects of green roofs (Saadatian et al., 2013)....

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  • ...Gago et al. (2013) Review various heat island mitigation strategies and pointed out vegetation can reduce heat island effect Hunter et al. (2014) Reviewed thermal performance of green façade....

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  • ...Apart from possible air pollution reduction, urban green infrastructure also provides benefits such as urban heat island mitigation (Chen et al., 2014; Gago et al., 2013), potential reduction in energy consumption (Berardi et al....

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  • ...…from possible air pollution reduction, urban green infrastructure also provides benefits such as urban heat island mitigation (Chen et al., 2014; Gago et al., 2013), potential reduction in energy consumption (Berardi et al., 2014; Pérez et al., 2014) and noise pollution (Berardi et al., 2014;…...

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  • ...Furthermore, previous reviews have focused on the benefits of urban infrastructure such as urban heat island mitigation from trees (Gago et al., 2013), thermal performance of green facades (Hunter et al....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An exponentially increasing trend of SUHI research since 2005, with clear preferences for geographic areas, time of day, seasons, research foci, and platforms/sensors is found, and key potential directions and opportunities for future efforts are proposed.
Abstract: The surface urban heat island (SUHI), which represents the difference of land surface temperature (LST) in urban relativity to neighboring non-urban surfaces, is usually measured using satellite LST data. Over the last few decades, advancements of remote sensing along with spatial science have considerably increased the number and quality of SUHI studies that form the major body of the urban heat island (UHI) literature. This paper provides a systematic review of satellite-based SUHI studies, from their origin in 1972 to the present. We find an exponentially increasing trend of SUHI research since 2005, with clear preferences for geographic areas, time of day, seasons, research foci, and platforms/sensors. The most frequently studied region and time period of research are China and summer daytime, respectively. Nearly two-thirds of the studies focus on the SUHI/LST variability at a local scale. The Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM)/Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+)/Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) and Terra/Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are the two most commonly-used satellite sensors and account for about 78% of the total publications. We systematically reviewed the main satellite/sensors, methods, key findings, and challenges of the SUHI research. Previous studies confirm that the large spatial (local to global scales) and temporal (diurnal, seasonal, and inter-annual) variations of SUHI are contributed by a variety of factors such as impervious surface area, vegetation cover, landscape structure, albedo, and climate. However, applications of SUHI research are largely impeded by a series of data and methodological limitations. Lastly, we propose key potential directions and opportunities for future efforts. Besides improving the quality and quantity of LST data, more attention should be focused on understudied regions/cities, methods to examine SUHI intensity, inter-annual variability and long-term trends of SUHI, scaling issues of SUHI, the relationship between surface and subsurface UHIs, and the integration of remote sensing with field observations and numeric modeling.

443 citations


Cites background from "The city and urban heat islands: A ..."

  • ...[46], Santamouris [47], Larsen [48], and Jamei et al....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review all types of green wall systems in order to identify and systematize their main characteristics and technologies involved, and understand the main differences between systems in terms of composition and construction methods.
Abstract: Current systems for greening the buildings envelope are not just surfaces covered with vegetation. Greening systems, as green roofs and green walls, are frequently used as an aesthetical feature in buildings. However, the current technology involved in these systems can maximize the functional benefits of plants to buildings performance and make part of a sustainable strategy of urban rehabilitation and buildings retrofitting. During the last decades several researches were conducted proving that green walls can contribute to enhance and restore the urban environment and improve buildings performance. The aim of this paper is to review all types of green wall systems in order to identify and systematize their main characteristics and technologies involved. So, it is important to understand the main differences between systems in terms of composition and construction methods. Most recent developments in green walls are mainly focused in systems design in order to achieve more efficient technical solutions and a better performance in all building phases. Yet, green wall systems must evolve to become more sustainable solutions. In fact, continuing to evaluate the contribution of recent green wall systems to improve buildings performance and comparing the environmental impact of these systems with other construction solutions can lead to an increase of their application in buildings and therefore result in a reduction on these systems cost. The decision of which green wall system is more appropriate to a certain project must depend not only on the construction and climatic restrictions but also on the environmental impact of its components and associated costs during its entire lifecycle.

385 citations


Cites background from "The city and urban heat islands: A ..."

  • ...In fact, covering buildings with vegetation, when applied in a significant urban scale, can improve the urban environment by contributing to urban biodiversity [1,9], stormwater management [10], air quality [11–13], temperature reduction [14] and mitigation of the heat island effect [15,16]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of research reported in journal publications on CFD studies of urban microclimate till the end of 2015 suggests a possible change in this trend as the results from CFD simulations can be linked up with different aspects and thus, CFD can play an important role in transferring urban climate knowledge into engineering and design practice.
Abstract: Urban microclimate studies are gaining popularity due to rapid urbanization. Many studies documented that urban microclimate can affect building energy performance, human morbidity and mortality and thermal comfort. Historically, urban microclimate studies were conducted with observational methods such as field measurements. In the last decades, with the advances in computational resources, numerical simulation approaches have become increasingly popular. Nowadays, especially simulations with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is frequently used to assess urban microclimate. CFD can resolve the transfer of heat and mass and their interaction with individual obstacles such as buildings. Considering the rapid increase in CFD studies of urban microclimate, this paper provides a review of research reported in journal publications on this topic till the end of 2015. The studies are categorized based on the following characteristics: morphology of the urban area (generic versus real) and methodology (with or without validation study). In addition, the studies are categorized by specifying the considered urban settings/locations, simulation equations and models, target parameters and keywords. This review documents the increasing popularity of the research area over the years. Based on the data obtained concerning the urban location, target parameters and keywords, the historical development of the studies is discussed and future perspectives are provided. According to the results, early CFD microclimate studies were conducted for model development and later studies considered CFD approach as a predictive methodology. Later, with the established simulation setups, research efforts shifted to case studies. Recently, an increasing amount of studies focus on urban scale adaptation measures. The review hints a possible change in this trend as the results from CFD simulations can be linked up with different aspects (e.g. economy) and with different scales (e.g. buildings), and thus, CFD can play an important role in transferring urban climate knowledge into engineering and design practice.

363 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A systematic and overarching review of different spatial and temporal factors affecting the UHI effect is provided and discusses the findings in policy terms and provides directions for future research.

353 citations


Cites background from "The city and urban heat islands: A ..."

  • ...(Gago et al., 2013) Review of different policy strategies that can be applied to mitigate the UHI effect....

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  • ...These devastating effects necessitate devising ways to mitigate the UHI effects (Chow et al., 2012; Gago et al., 2013; Susca et al., 2011)....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used systematic review methodology to evaluate available evidence on whether greening interventions, such as tree planting or the creation of parks or green roofs, affect the air temperature of an urban area.

1,822 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an analysis of temperature trends for the last 100 years in several large U.S. cities indicate that, since ∼1940, temperatures in urban areas have increased by about 0.5-3.0°C.

1,526 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the results of recent urban canyon field studies and of scale and mathematical modelling to find a range of canyon geometries that are compatible with the apparently conflicting design objectives of mid-latitude cities.

1,493 citations

Book
14 Jul 2011
TL;DR: The Urban Climate aims to summarize analytical studies directed toward physical understanding of the rural-urban differences in the atmospheric boundary layer as discussed by the authors, and provides an assessment of the urban atmosphere on a synoptic and local scale.
Abstract: The Urban Climate aims to summarize analytical studies directed toward physical understanding of the rural-urban differences in the atmospheric boundary layer. Attempts to quantify conditions have met with some success. There is certainly a clear understanding of the physical relations that create the climatic differences of urbanized areas. Although some of the earlier classical studies are cited here, the emphasis is on the work done during the last decade and a half. This volume comprises 11 chapters, beginning with an introductory chapter discussing the literature surrounding the topic, its historical development, and the problem of local climate modification. The second chapter presents an assessment of the urban atmosphere on a synoptic and local scale, and examines the observational procedures involved. The following chapters then go on to discuss urban air composition; urban energy fluxes; the urban heat island; the urban wind field; models of urban temperature and wind fields; moisture, clouds, and hydrometeors; urban hydrology; special aspects of urban climate; and finally, urban planning. This book will be of interest to practitioners in the fields of meteorology, urban planning, and urban climatology.

1,394 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the impacts of surface albedo, evapotranspiration, and anthropogenic heating on the near-surface climate are discussed, and numerical simulations and field measurements indicate that increasing vegetation cover can be effective in reducing the surface and air temperatures near the ground.

1,282 citations