Abstract
High population density, dense high-rise buildings, and impervious pavements increase the vulnerability of cities, which aggravate the urban climate environment characterized by the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Cities in China provide unique information on the UHI phenomenon because they have experienced rapid urbanization and dramatic economic development, which have had a great influence on the climate in recent decades. This paper provides a review of recent research on the methods and impacts of UHI on building energy consumption, and the practical techniques that can be used to mitigate the adverse effects of UHI in China. The impact of UHI on building energy consumption depends largely on the local microclimate, the urban area features where the building is located, and the type and characteristics of the building. In the urban areas dominated by air conditioning, UHI could result in an approximately 10–16% increase in cooling energy consumption. Besides, the potential negative effects of UHI can be prevented from China in many ways, such as urban greening, cool material, water bodies, urban ventilation, etc. These strategies could have a substantial impact on the overall urban thermal environment if they can be used in the project design stage of urban planning and implemented on a large scale. Therefore, this study is useful to deepen the understanding of the physical mechanisms of UHI and provide practical approaches to fight the UHI for the urban planners, public health officials, and city decision-makers in China.
Highlights
As the main sites of human activities and interactions, cities are facing great changes in land use and land cover (LULC) due to population growth and economic development [1].The natural land surfaces in cities, mainly vegetation and permeable areas, have been transformed into built-up and impervious areas [2]
To understand the impacts of urban heat island (UHI) on different urban development and the temporal variability of urban heat island intensity (UHII) over long periods, it is demanded to assess UHI based on long-term monitoring data in urban areas [67,74]
Yang et al [238] investigated the cooling effect of double-skin green facade (DSGF) in Shanghai, the results showed that the cooling effect of the south-facing facade vertical greening system’ (VGS) is better, and the indoor air temperature drops by 1.2 ◦ C on average
Summary
As the main sites of human activities and interactions, cities are facing great changes in land use and land cover (LULC) due to population growth and economic development [1].The natural land surfaces in cities, mainly vegetation and permeable areas, have been transformed into built-up and impervious areas [2]. Urbanization has become a major concern of many countries worldwide because of its adverse impact on ecology and the environment; in particular, the urban heat island (UHI) effect is one of the significant environmental impacts of urbanization [4,5]. The UHI phenomena have had many adverse effects on the urban social ecosystem, including increasing building energy consumption, reducing thermal comfort, affecting the health of urban residents, and decreasing urban air quality [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13]. Several studies have documented the specific effects of UHI on electricity demand and energy use for cooling. In the Mediterranean region, energy demands for cooling buildings increased by 12% in the peripheral neighborhood of the city and by 46% in the Sustainability 2021, 13, 762.
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