Renaturing a microclimate: The impact of greening a neighbourhood on indoor thermal comfort during a heatwave in Manchester, UK

This paper studies the impact of different green barriers on the dispersion of air pollution in a neighbourhood. The study was performed with reference to air quality conditions in Manchester, UK. Manchester experiences a high level of NO2. Measured results showed that the average annual concentration level in 2018 was very close to the limit defined by European Union legislation. Maximum and minimum NO2 concentrations occurred during the winter and summer, respectively. Simulations of the dispersion of air pollution in a hypothetical neighbourhood showed that NO2 level was decreased by the increase of air temperature during the simulated day. In four perturbation scenarios, hedges and trees with different heights were added to the neighbourhood as green barriers. Hedges increased the pollution level near the street at the pedestrian level as a result of the reduced wind speed. The simulations demonstrated that using the trees facilitated the dispersion of pollution.

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“…The simulations were run for 26 hours, starting from midnight[36]. Maximum UHI measured in Manchester was 2.3 ᵒC in 2018[37].…”

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confidence: 99%

Air pollution in a microclimate; the impact of different green barriers on the dispersion

Taleghani

Clark

Swan

et al. 2020

Science of The Total Environment

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“…GIS-based methodology to evaluate green roofs and green urban areas 9 [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Outdoor thermal comfort: UHI mitigation strategies and thermal comfort indexes 20 [2,4,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] Energy savings and Indoor thermal comfort from Green roofs 5 [1,[31][32][33][34] 2.…”

Section: No Of Papers Sourcementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was found that, in Manchester, during the hottest day of 2017, by adding 17% more trees, indoor thermal comfort was improved by 20.8%. The regeneration of cities could be a solution for future warmer climates [32].…”

Section: Energy Savings and The Indoor Thermal Comfort Of Green Roofsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Green Roofs on Outdoor Thermal Comfort, Urban Heat Island Mitigation and Energy Savings

Mutani

Todeschi

2020

Atmosphere

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There is growing attention to the use of greenery in urban areas, in various forms and functions, as an instrument to reduce the impact of human activities on the urban environment. The aim of this study has been to investigate the use of green roofs as a strategy to reduce the urban heat island effect and to improve the thermal comfort of indoor and outdoor environments. The effects of the built-up environment, the presence of vegetation and green roofs, and the urban morphology of the city of Turin (Italy) have been assessed considering the land surface temperature distribution. This analysis has considered all the information recorded by the local weather stations and satellite images, and compares it with the geometrical and typological characteristics of the city in order to find correlations that confirm that greenery and vegetation improve the livability of an urban context. The results demonstrate that the land-surface temperature, and therefore the air temperature, tend to decrease as the green areas increase. This trend depends on the type of urban context. Based on the results of a green-roofs investigation of Turin, the existing and potential green roofs are respectively almost 300 (257,380 m2) and 15,450 (6,787,929 m2). Based on potential assessment, a strategy of priority was established according to the characteristics of building, to the presence of empty spaces, and to the identification of critical areas, in which the thermal comfort conditions are poor with low vegetation. This approach can be useful to help stakeholders, urban planners, and policy makers to effectively mitigate the urban heat island (UHI), improve the livability of the city, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and gain thermal comfort conditions, and to identify policies and incentives to promote green roofs.

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“…As this figure shows, traditional buildings in hotter climates were built and covered with high albedo materials like plaster. While the UHI in Manchester was 2.3 • C in summer 2018 (meaning that the city centre of Manchester was 2.3 • C hotter than its surrounding) [32], Akbari et al [33] showed that Santorini is cooler than its surroundings.…”

Section: Urban Surface Materials and Natural Elementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning to Chill: The Role of Design Schools and Professional Training to Improve Urban Climate and Urban Metabolism

2020

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The increased frequency of heat-related mortality and morbidity in urban environments indicates the importance of urban climate studies. As most of the world’s population lives in cities, the education of designers, planners and policy makers is crucial to promote urban sustainability This paper, firstly, focuses on the different factors causing the urban heat islands in large cities. Secondly, it considers how these factors are reflected in higher education programmes. Examples are shown from courses in UK higher education, explaining the common software tools used for simulating urban spaces, and student field measurements are drawn on to illustrate how urban climate studies are included in higher education curricula. Urban metabolism is used to conceptualise the main approach to systemic resource-use assessments and as a holistic framework to investigate the main drivers of the urban heat island phenomenon. To sum up, this paper reflects on the importance of training climatically-aware graduates from design schools.

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Renaturing a microclimate: The impact of greening a neighbourhood on indoor thermal comfort during a heatwave in Manchester, UK

Abstract: Ti t l e R e n a t u ri n g a mi c r o cli m a t e : t h e i m p a c t of g r e e ni n g a n ei g h b o u r h o o d o n in d o o r t h e r m al c o mfo r t d u ri n g a h e a t w a v e in M a n c h e s t er, UK

Cited by 29 publications

References 41 publications

Air pollution in a microclimate; the impact of different green barriers on the dispersion

Air pollution in a microclimate; the impact of different green barriers on the dispersion

The Effects of Green Roofs on Outdoor Thermal Comfort, Urban Heat Island Mitigation and Energy Savings

Learning to Chill: The Role of Design Schools and Professional Training to Improve Urban Climate and Urban Metabolism

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