Effects of Urban Morphology on Microclimate Parameters in an Urban University Campus

Sheikh Ahmad Zaki,Siti Wan Syahidah,Nurnida Elmira Othman,Jorge Alfredo Ardila-Rey,Fitri Yakub,Ahmad Shakir Mohd Saudi,Mohd Fairuz Shahidan,Firdaus Muhammad-Sukki

doi:10.3390/su12072962

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of urban morphology on microclimate parameters in an urban university campus in Malaysia. Outdoor air temperatures (Tout) were recorded at eight different locations inside the campus for seven days. The study used three urban morphological parameters such as green cover ratio, height-to-width (H/W) ratio, and sky view factor (SVF). The relationship between urban morphological parameters and Tout obtained from in situ measurements was investigated. The results showed that, at a dense green cover ratio of 22% in a 7833 m2 area where the H/W ratio was 0.2, Tout was reduced by about 1% due to a long building shadow cover (12 h) and a high range of SVF (from 0.61 to 0.68). The use of geographic information system (GIS) to generate the spatial data of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Campus (UTMKL), morphological features and in situ Tout distributions provided useful information of Tout variations, and proved the applicability of GIS as a useful tool in smart city urban planning.

Highlights

Urban greenery is an important element to solve the issues of increased urban temperature caused by the development of built-up environment
To address the aforementioned issue, this study evaluated the local outdoor air temperature and greenery condition inside an urban university campus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, based on the in situ field measurement
This study was conducted at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Campus (UTMKL) that lies at a latitude of 3.17◦N and a longitude of 101.72◦E

Summary

Introduction

Urban greenery is an important element to solve the issues of increased urban temperature caused by the development of built-up environment. The studies on the presence of urban greenery can be generally divided into three mode categories, namely application of remote sensing at a large scale (macro scale), field measurement at microscale, and numerical simulation at mesoscale and microscale. Yang et al [10] had conducted the field measurement and questionnaire survey to examine relationship of microclimate environments, park use, and human behavioral patterns in the urban area of Umeå, Sweden, which is under subarctic climate. Katayama et al [16] investigated the influence of the natural covering ratio on air temperature and found that the area with trees, cultivated fields, grassland, and water bodies reduced the temperature by 2.7◦C They found that the temperature reduction is greater with longer radius.

Site Description

GIS Application

Greenery Area

Urban Morphology

In Situ Measurement Result

Conclusions