Analysis of micro-climate on the programs of urban infrastructure regeneration in J city, Republic of Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to simulate urban micro-climate change due to the variation of wind flow and temperature assuming situations before and after applying programs using urban infrastructure regeneration technologies (UIRTs), and to then quantitatively estimate effectiveness on the urban regeneration schems. UIRTs focus on improving the recycling efficiencies of reclaimed water and biogas produced and to enforce the linkage among all environmental infrastructures associated with water, waste, and energy in an urban block. To implement the micro-climate analyses, data such as land use, topography, building height and materials, and weather conditions were collected, and the results estimated based on fluid simulations of cold wind and temperature variation pathways. There were three programs used in the urban regeneration project in J city: river restoration, traditional market revitalization, and a primary school eco-school. The height of cold wind from the ground level was significantly elevated, and the maximum wind velocity differential between before and after increased by 0.12m/s due to the expansion of the waterfront space and grassland through the three programs. Overall, a temperature at the ground level dropped by 1.6°C. Based on these results, the three programs improved the urban environment at ground level, and might ultimately be capable of diminishing the urban heat island effect and mitigating the energy consumption of urban areas.