Block-based local climate zone approach to urban climate maps using the UDC model

Abstract

The urban climate map (UCMap) system has been widely applied in climate-friendly urban design. To facilitate accurate and effective UCMap construction, this study combines the urban energy balance calculation model (UDC) and local climate zone (LCZ) parameterization to obtain dynamic block-scale urban climatic parameters. The study area is the Higher Education Mega Center (HEMC) of Guangzhou, and a block-based LCZ classification methodology is proposed to generate an LCZ map of the HEMC. Then a framework is established by integrating the LCZ parameterization and UDC model to obtain a spatiotemporal UCMap atlas of the HEMC. The results show that the overall average local-scale urban heat island intensity (LUHII) and urban wet island intensity (LUWII) vary by 4.99 °C and 3.87 g/kg, respectively, over 24 h. Regarding the spatial distributions, the average LUHII and LUWII reach maximum values of 6.6 °C and 1.3 g/kg, respectively, within the HEMC. Additionally, correlation analysis of the physical property parameters and simulated climatic parameters shows that among the physical parameters, both the sky view factor and pervious surface fraction (PSF) have significant positive effects on the LUHII, whereas only the PSF has a positive effect on the LUWII. Furthermore, quantitative equations describing these relationships are derived, and climate problem zones are defined in terms of temperature and humidity. Identification of these climate problem zones within the HEMC enables appropriate optimization measures to support climate-friendly urban planning.