Holistic Methodology For Measuring The Urban Environment: How To Rate And Assess Urban Sustainability To Adapt Cities To Climate Change

Abstract

In a highly urbanized world, climate change, global warming and peak oil are some of the greatest challenges we face. Agglomeration has led to more compact cities where the urban ecology has traditionally had a negative financial value. The form and fabric of dense cities pay little attention to increased cooling demands and consequent high energy use and Carbon production. Phenomenons such as, intensification and transportation systems are increasingly incrementing energy consumption and carbon emissions. These, combined with the impermeability of urban surfaces, increase in wastage, and Green House Gases production, is leading to warmer cities. The air in the boundary layer becomes over-saturated by polluting gases, which obstructs the release of heat from the urban environment, thus increasing urban temperature and consequently contributing to the Urban Heat Island Effect. To reduce the impact of this organisations, such as the Green Building Council, have focussed on individual buildings and produced a 'rating system' to measure their 'sustainability'. However, there are no rating tools for areas outside buildings; including, streets, squares and other public areas. Traditional engineering to control natural events associated with climate change such as flooding, urban water scarcity, food security, heat wave in urban areas and so forth, appeared not to be sufficient and effective, since, these strategies, for a 'sustainable urban development', requires energy consumption from fossil-fuels and regular maintenance, incrementing costs and the depletion of natural resources. The purpose of this research is to produce a holistic methodology by which, urban areas can be 'rated' for their 'green' credentials by accounting for such things as urban ecology and the Urban Heat Island Effect. The proposed method of measuring the urban environment, developed in this research, will allow Planners and Urban Designers to measure the environmental impact of the urban design, and to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of a 'Green Infrastructure' in urban areas. This will provide answers to how incorporate sustainable urban strategies, that includes buildings, streets and natural resources, as part of the sustainable approach, to mitigate climate change. To achieve this, the research project has been based on three aspects: 1. Urban ecology: which measures the effects of the Urban Heat Island Effect in the physical and the built environment in the Urban Canopy layer. 2. Landscaping: which measures the importance of urban trees and vegetation, to offset and mitigate the Green House Gases in the Urban Canopy Layer. 3. Urban hydrology: which measures Urban Water Quality and mitigation of Urban Water Runoff to preserve and improve the urban aquatic ecosystems. As a result, this research will provide alternative low impact design strategies that can be implemented in different urban contexts, including, dense areas within the city. These strategies will help to detox, decarbonize, and cool the urban environment, by providing a better understanding of the urban cycle (ecology, landscaping and hydrology), to offset the Green House Gases, mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect, and improve the urban water quality, and thus, mitigate climate change.