SG Nov 08

Sustainable Cities: Options for

Responding to climate CHange

Impacts and Outcomes

• To develop tools for the analysis of adaptation options in urban areas, with a particular emphasis on heat and human comfort in the built environment.

• To develop statistical climate simulator for urban areas, considering climate change, urban landscape and direct heating.

• To model typical buildings and surroundings to develop a heat and human comfort vulnerability index.

• To estimate heat emissions from buildings, and greenhouse gas emission budgets to understand building adaptation options.

• To develop GIS-based decision support toolsfor exploration of adaptation options for urban planning and design.

• To demonstrate the methods and tools through in depth case studies, working in partnership with practicing planners and designers.

• WP1: Downscaling of Climate Variables- 1.1 RCM outputs for urban climate assessment

- 1.2 Temporal downscaling of weather variables- 1.3 Spatial patterns of temperature in urban areas

• WP2: Modelling Impacts and Adaptation of the Built Environment- 2.1 Classification of buildings and urban land cover

- 2.2 Thermal modelling of the built environment and vulnerability index- 2.3 Estimation of emissions of heat and energy-related end user air pollutant and GHG emission budgets asssociated with buildings

• WP3: Vulnerabilty assessment and options appraisal tools for planners and designers

- 3.1 Visualisation of heat scenarios and vulnerability at

a city scale

- 3.2 Prototype built environment adaptation options

appraisal tools

- 3.3 Case studies of adaptation of the built environment

• More later but papers published:• Foresight paper, Designing urban spaces and buildings to improve

sustainability and quality of life in a warmer world. Energy Policy(2008), doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2008.09.011

• Estimated Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Urban Anthropogenic Heat Fluxes. Accepted in Theoretical and Applied Climatology

• Papers published (continued):• Characterising the Spatial and Temporal Dimensions of the Urban

Heat Island Effect across a UK Urban Area. Smith, Levermore, Webb, Lindley, Beswick. 31st conference of the International Geographical Union (IGU), Tunis (August 12th to 15th).

• An Analysis of the Urban Heat Island of Sheffield – the Impact of a Changing Climate Susan E. Lee*, Steve Sharples PLEA 2008 –25th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Dublin, 22nd to 24th October 2008

Claire Smith appointed Lecturer in the School of

Environment and Development, Sept 1st.

Claire an “unofficial” co-investigator and still working with the project.

Susan Lee took over on 1st Nov.

Poor summer for transects!

Monitoring temperatures in Greater

Manchester as per London

Dome Nut

Saucer

Nut

Studding

Cheaper radiation shield

We want lampposts and trees to put temp sensors on!

COincident Probabilistic climate change weather

data for a Sustainable built Environment (COPSE)

• EPSRC Reference: EP/F038178/1

• Principal Investigator: Professor Geoff Levermore

• Champion Prof Roger Courtney

• Post Doc: Dr Richard Watkins

• PhD: Mr Henry Cheung (looking specifically at urban heat island)

• Abstract: This project will develop sound methods for future climate change data for building designers to use for new buildings and refurbishments that could last to the end of this century.