Impact of urban morphology on walkability: A case study of the Colonne neighborhood in Annaba, Algeria

This study delves into the relationship between urban morphology and the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in Manchester's transit-oriented development (TOD). Using various analytical methods, including context analysis, remote sensing, SPSS correlation and the Sankey analysis, the research examines both weekday and weekend data of Manchester Piccadilly and East Didsbury TODs. Remote sensing analysis reveals Manchester Piccadilly TOD as a UHI hotspot due to concentrated human activities and low Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). East Didsbury TOD, on the other hand, experiences lower UHI intensity because of its lower building and population density. The findings highlight the significant impact of land use and urban morphology on UHI intensity. The paper highlights how TOD-generated commercial and entertainment activities contribute to UHI levels in different locations in Manchester. Factors such as high population density and a higher percentage of workers exacerbate the UHI effect in TODs. The relationship between building heights and UHI challenges the conventional assumption of a positive correlation between floor area ratio (FAR) and UHI. These insights are crucial for TOD planning, emphasising the need to carefully consider land use, population density, and building characteristics in shaping the TOD locations. Implementing measures such as reducing heat emissions from commercial and entertainment activities can lessen the UHI intensity. Providing effective shading in TOD streets and shortening the distance to transit stations can encourage sustainable transportation modes like walking and cycling. Ultimately, this paper enhances understanding of the intricate connections between urban morphology and UHI, facilitating the development of environmentally friendly TOD.

Impacts of urban morphology on reducing cooling load and increasing ventilation potential in hot-arid climate

Assessing the impact of urban morphology on the indoor thermal condition of housing in a tourism city in central Vietnam — Hoi An City is the main objective of this study. The research process is carried out by a variety of methods including in situ surveys, measuring with temperature sensors, data analysis and map analysis. Four houses, located in two areas with different urban forms, were selected for measurement within one month to investigate the differences in housing indoor temperature. The impact of urban morphology on housing was thereafter determined. Temperature sensors were permanently installed in 4 houses; based on these empirical measurements and data collected, the paper addresses solutions to improve urban morphology and indoor thermal condition.

This work is an experimental study focusing on the impact of urban morphology on the urban heat island (UHI) intensity, microclimate conditions and thermal comfort in a newly-developed urban area in Tianjin city, China. According to the Koppen–Geiger climate classification system, the studied area is classified as hot summer continental climate, characterized by hot and humid summers as well as cold and dry winters. Air temperature, relative humidity (RH) and wind speed at 46 points within an 8-km2 area are measured during both winter and summer seasons. Based on measured results and climatic mapping, the impacts of urban constituents such as building, pavement, greenery and water area on UHI intensity and microclimate conditions are analyzed. Results show that UHI intensity reaches up to 4.5 °C during daytime and 5.3 °C at night in summer, and 2.6 °C during daytime and 5.0 °C at night in winter. Thermal comfort level at the measurement points is predicted using the Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) model developed for the local climate. The cooling effect of trees is evident during both daytime and nighttime in summer, but negligible in winter due to the reduction of leaf area and evaporation. The presence of both greenery and water body result in an increase in RH in air. Trees tend to reduce wind speed and improve thermal comfort in winter. Radiant heat dissipated from buildings and roads is the main contributor to nighttime UHI in both summer and winter seasons. Based on research results, urban design recommendations are proposed so as to improve outdoor thermal comfort in urban areas located in temperate climate zone during summer and winter.

Due to insufficient records and limited number of weather stations, prediction models must be used to forecast local climate conditions. Accurate prediction is required in the case of emerging cities because rapid growth in urban development causes changes in the attributes of the urban environment, particularly the local microclimate. With the help of the Urban Weather Generator (UWG) and a locally established weather station, this research explores the validity of UWG processed open weather data (i.e., World Weather Online and Open Weather Map datasets). The Marina district in the city of Lusail near Doha, Qatar, saw a 26% increase in temperature prediction accuracy. A more detailed analysis of a representative residential building load prediction reveals that cooling estimate gaps are reduced by 2.7% to 7.3% when compared to the underestimated loads from the rural weather dataset. The impact of urban morphology on urban climate is further studied. The results show that increasing building construction, which results in increased building footprint density in the studied area, increases cooling consumption of the representative residential building by more than 11,000 kWh under certain conditions. Whereas, increase in greenery only results in savings of around 250 kWh. Additionally, a uniform random sensitivity analysis of 10 UWG characteristics showed that cooling consumption can vary between 10,000 kWh and 47,500 kWh compared to the predicted cooling consumption when the baseline weather dataset is used.

Retrieval of sensible heat flux requires the input of, among others, temperature gradient and wind speed. The lower level of temperature measurement is commonly replaced by remotely-sensed radiative surface temperature. Studies that utilize simultaneous satellite and in-situ retrievals of sensible heat flux are scarce. In this paper, we present preliminary results of the analyses of the impact of urban morphology and land cover on the sensible heat flux. It was calculated by two approaches, the first was based on satellite observations of radiative surface temperature and the second utilized in-situ measurements of road kinetic temperature. Except for the surface temperature, for both approaches we used the same input parameters. Road kinetic temperature and wind speed were measured by automatic road weather network. Nine stations were located across the city of Warsaw outside the city centre in low-rise urban structure. A time series of MODIS thermal data for the period 2005-2014 was utilized.

The impact of urban morphology on land surface temperature across urban-rural gradients in the Pearl River Delta, China

The challenge of noise pollution in high-density urban areas: Relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and noise perception

The growing importance of climate change underlines the need to comprehend Urban Heat Islands (UHI), particularly those influenced by urban morphology. As progress has been made in understanding the macroscale relationship between urban morphology and UHIs, the microscale effects are often overlooked. This study, conducted in the city of Erzurum in Turkey, delves into the complex relationship between urban morphology and UHI intensity in different housing areas with distinct microclimates, focusing particularly on street networks, building systems, and land use. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to investigate the relationships between morphological indicators and UHIs in different housing areas. Key findings include that (1) noticeable UHI effects were observed, especially in dense areas with high-rise buildings. (2) UHIs reveal a strong correlation with both 2D and 3D urban morphological indicators. A moderate-to-high Sky View Factor (SVF) tends to reduce UHIs, while an extremely high SVF aggravates UHIs. (3) Enhancing street network integration emerges as a more effective strategy for mitigating UHI effects in mid-rise buildings compared to other morphological factors. The Normalised Difference Built-Up Index (NDBI) and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) may not reliably indicate UHIs in housing areas with a predominantly rural character. Consequently, this article recommends that urban morphology optimisation for UHI mitigation should prioritise spatial and indicator specificity in urban design and spatial planning for cities. Future research endeavours should investigate the influence of morphological indicators on UHI dynamics in different seasons, including various remote sensing indicators related to morphological structure, to enrich our understanding of daily UHI fluctuations within urban morphology research.

Impact of urban morphology on pedestrians: A review of urban approaches

Impact of urban morphology on the spatial and temporal distribution of PM2.5 concentration: A numerical simulation with WRF/CMAQ model in Wuhan, China

Climate change necessitates a critical reconsideration of the built environment since buildings are among the top fossil fuel consumers. Solar energy generation through building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems is one of the most common onsite energy generation methods. However, many factors regarding urban morphology can negatively affect BIPV generation. Urban block typologies and spatial patterns are commonly studied descriptive metrics of an urban morphology that affect the solar energy potential. Similarly, the street network pattern is a measure of the spatial quality of an urban environment. Although various urban morphology indicators have been extensively studied in relation to solar energy potential, a comparative analysis of urban fabric focusing on street network patterns is also needed. In this study, four representative urban areas with different morphological characteristics are studied. The selected morphologies are parametrically modelled and compared with different building height configurations. A comparative analysis of BIPV generation capacity per square meter façade or roof area is presented. Urban areas without a dominating street network pattern have resulted in greater PV generation on facades, whereas the impact of urban morphology was found negligible for roof PV potential. The findings of this research have the potential to aid in urban planning and architectural design decisions, as well as the efficient use of BIPV systems in diverse urban morphologies.

Urban morphology, climate, and occupant behavior significantly affect urban building energy consumption. This study analyzed 200 example blocks with 4754 buildings in Harbin, China, a representative city with a severe cold climate, to calculate urban morphology and climate factors. A questionnaire was conducted to quantify the data on the energy use behaviors of building occupants. Linear and nonlinear methods were used to explore correlations between these three types of factors and energy consumption. An agent-based modeling (ABM) approach was applied to establish a city-scale energy consumption simulation model, and simulations of energy-saving scenarios were carried out to derive optimization strategies. Key findings include: (1) the living area is the most significant determinant of daily energy use intensity (EUI), contributing 24.42%; (2) the floor area ratio (FAR) most influences annual electricity EUI (30.55%), while building height (BH) has the largest impact on heating EUI (32.62%); and (3) altering urban morphology and climatic factors by one unit can, respectively, reduce energy consumption by up to 13.0 and 224.7 kWh/m2 annually. Increasing energy-saving awareness campaigns can reduce household EUI by 30.6127 kWh/m2. This study provides strategic recommendations for urban energy-saving planning in cold regions.

Impact of urban morphology on outdoor air temperature and microclimate optimization strategy base on Pareto optimality in Northeast China

Climate change is expected to result in increased occurrences of extreme weather events such as heat waves and cold spells. Urban planning responses are crucial for improving the capacity of cities and communities to deal with significant temperature variations across seasons. This study aims to investigate the relationship between urban temperature fluctuations and urban morphology throughout the four seasons. Through quadrant and statistical analyses, built-environment factors are identified that moderate or exacerbate seasonal land surface temperatures (LSTs). The focus is on Seoul, South Korea, as a case study, and seasonal LST values are calculated at both the grid (100 m × 100 m) and street block levels, incorporating factors such as vegetation density, land use patterns, albedo, two- and three-dimensional building forms, and gravity indices for large forests and water bodies. The quadrant analysis reveals a spatial segregation between areas demonstrating high LST adaptability (cooler summers and warmer winters) and those displaying LST vulnerability (hotter summers and colder winters), with significant differences in vegetation and building forms. Spatial regression analyses demonstrate that higher vegetation density and proximity to water bodies play key roles in moderating LSTs, leading to cooler summers and warmer winters. Building characteristics have a constant impact on LSTs across all seasons: horizontal expansion increases the LST, while vertical expansion reduces the LST. These findings are consistent for both grid- and block-level analyses. This study emphasizes the flexible role of the natural environment in moderating temperatures.