Abstract
Global increase of urban population has brought about a growing demand for more dwelling space, resulting in various negative impacts, such as accelerated urbanization, urban sprawl and higher carbon footprints. To cope with these growth dynamics, city authorities are urged to consider alternative planning strategies aiming at mitigating the negative implications of urbanization. In this context, the present contribution investigates the potential of urban densification to mitigate the heat island effects and to improve outdoor thermal conditions. Focusing on a quite densely urbanized district in Vienna, Austria, we carried out a set of simulations of urban microclimate for pre- and post-densification scenarios using the parametric modelling environment Rhinoceros 3D and a set of built-in algorithms in the Rhino’s plug-in Grasshopper. The study was conducted for a hot summer period. The results revealed a notable solar shielding effect of newly introduced vertical extensions of existing buildings, promoting temperature decrease and improved thermal conditions within more shaded urban canyons and courtyards. However, a slight warming effect was noted during the night-time due to the higher thermal storage and lower sky view factor.
Highlights
The present contribution investigates the potential of urban densification to mitigate the heat island effects and to improve outdoor thermal conditions
Global increase of urban population has brought about a growing demand for more dwelling space, resulting in a number of negative impacts such as accelerated urbanization, urban sprawl and higher carbon footprints [1,2]
It can be observed that the increase of the average building height by 2.7 meters resulted in increased building volume and a lower sky view factor (SVF)
Summary
Global increase of urban population has brought about a growing demand for more dwelling space, resulting in a number of negative impacts such as accelerated urbanization, urban sprawl and higher carbon footprints [1,2]. (2013) analyzed the effects of anthropogenic emissions on air quality in the urban boundary layer and noted that anthropogenic heat causes a larger rural-urban temperature gradient, which induces a stronger inward flow of urban-breeze circulation. This promotes the advection of ozone from the surroundings into the urban area, whereby it is known that ozone-rich air may induce a range of adverse health effects [6]. With unplanned transformation of existing urban areas, cities are becoming increasingly inhomogeneous, having more impermeable (sealed) than
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