A climatic approach to town planning in the Arctic

Abstract

This paper describes a methodological climatic approach to town planning in the Arctic ∗ ∗ This paper is based on the author's Ph.D. Thesis at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. . The historical context of Arctic towns is described and a brief description of the history of climate in urban planning and climate-dominant design methods is given. Climatic constraints in Arctic town planning are then presented through an analysis of comfort as related to the Arctic climate in which sun, wind and temperature are identified as the major stressors. Climatic requirements in Arctic town planning are then presented under the headings of solar shading, wind protection and snow control. A methodological approach is described in which several specialists work simultaneously in parallel generating a variety of alternatives that are eventually synthesized through the identification and resolution of conflicts between the three plans and a process of negotiation and trade-offs. The method is exemplified by plans developed for a case study site in the Canadian Arctic, illustrating the divergence-convergence process.