Abstract
It is well-known that the morphology of urban areas modifies the variations of climate variables at microscale; known as microclimate conditions. The complexity of urban morphology can lead to undesired wind conditions or excessive air temperature; particularly in extreme weather conditions. This study attempts to quantify the impacts of urban morphology on the evolution of wind speed and air temperature at the urban canopy layer using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations. In this regard, three urban neighbourhoods are generated based on a novel urban morphology parameterization method and assessed in two extreme low and high wind conditions. Results showed that wind speed (up to 75%) and air temperature (up to 28%) at the microscale can get amplified or dampened in extreme conditions. A negative correlation was observed between wind speed and air temperature variations indicating a great potential to reduce outdoor air temperature through heat removal in urban canyons. The findings of the study are categorized based on the morphological parameters to present a series of design-based strategies for the newly-built urban neighbourhoods.
Highlights
According to the UN, about 55% of the world population lives in cities and this number is expected to increase to over 66% by 2050 [1]
A total number of twenty-four Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations were conducted for the generated cases considering two extreme wind speeds, one extreme warm air temperature and four corresponding wind directions
Results showed the impact of urban morphology on the microclimate conditions by amplifying or dampening the variations of wind speed and air temperature from top to the bottom of urban canopy layer
Summary
According to the UN, about 55% of the world population lives in cities and this number is expected to increase to over 66% by 2050 [1]. The number of cities with a higher than one-million population is projected to increase from 512 in 2016 to over 662 in 2030 [2] In response to this rapid urbanization, the morphology of cities will change notably due to several massive construction waves; resulting in several interconnected urban neighbourhoods and complex urban morphology. Several research works have studied the impacts of generic urban morphologies with uniform heights on the variation of wind speed [9] and air/surface temperature [10]. To improve the reproducibility of results, it is required to develop more complex urban morphologies to consider height variations, building forms, as well as different architectural layouts, and street canyons [11]. Further investigation is still required to develop design suggestions for designers to avoid undesired wind speeds and excessive air temperature considering complex urban morphologies [12].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
