scholarly journals Evaluating three urban canopy models against in-situ observations for a heat-wave case in Amsterdam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjan Willemse ◽  
Alberto Martilli ◽  
Bert Heusinkveld ◽  
Oscar Hartogensis ◽  
Gert-Jan Steeneveld

<p>With increasing urbanization and ongoing climate change there is a need to develop and evaluate modelling infrastructure for urban weather and climate. In this study we evaluate three urban canopy models for a heat-wave case study in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), notably the single-layer urban canopy model (SLUCM) and the building environment parameterization (BEP) and the BEP+BEM (BEP+Building Energy model) urban canopy models within the WRF infrastructure. Model results are evaluated against a network of near surface observations of air temperature, turbulent surface fluxes, SODAR wind profiles, and radio soundings of temperature and humidity taken in the city center of Amsterdam.</p><p>We find that the BEP+BEM model outperforms the other schemes for the near surface air temperature, with a bias of -0.66 K for BEP+BEM, -1.51 K for BEP and-1.56 K for SLUCM. However, WRF produces an elevated inversion level that, at the same time, is substantially (~ 2-8 K) weaker than observed in the radiosoundings.</p><p>To estimate the future increase in energy demand by air conditioning, we project this heatwave case study to the future. To do so, we force the WRF model with increased temperatures in initial and boundary conditions following the four KNMI climate scenarios. With the climate scenario with the largest warming (WH-scenario) we find a 2-m temperature increase of ~3 K during daytime compared to the current climate. Finally we find that for this scenario the energy consumption by air-conditioning increases between 25% and 40% in the city center compared to the current climate (with constant number of airco’s installed).</p>

2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goran Andjelkovic

The urban heat island, as a phenomenon due to the higher air temperature in the cities as compared to their immediate surroundings, represents the most important consequence of the urbanization influence on the topoclimate. As compared to the smaller cities in its surroundings, Belgrade's average annual temperature is from 0,4 to 1,0 ?C higher (period 1961-1990). A very liable index of the Belgrade's heat island is the air temperature measured at the airport in Surcin. In the period from 1971-1990. average annual air temperature at the airport was 11,2 ?C, and in the city center it was 0,7 ?C higher. Belgrade has a higher absolute minimal temperature than its surroundings during every month. In the last climatic period the absolute temperature minimum in Belgrade was even 5,4 ?C higher than the highest value measured within this parameter in its wider surroundings (Veliko Gradiste -26,4 ?C). In the above mentioned twenty years period the absolute air temperature minimum in Surcin was -26,0 ?C, and in the city center only -18,2 ?C. The number of the frosty days at the airport was 77,8, and in Belgrade 58,2. Although the heat island of Belgrade was formed together with formation of the city, it was more evident at the beginning of the 20th century (0,4 ?C). During the next five to six decades a faster intensity growth was recorded (up to 0,9 ?C). This coincides with the period of the population growth as well as with development of the city activities, industry above all. During one year the intensity of the Belgrade's heat island reached its maximum in winter. In January the city, as compared to Surcin, was warmer for about 1,0 ?C, and in September for only 0,1 ?C. The daily variations of the heat island are such that it reaches its highest intensity during the evening hours (at 9 p.m. 0,9 ?C). If the average values of the extreme daily temperatures are being examined, one can see a distinct difference: average city minimums are 1,5 ?C higher than the airport minimums, while the maximums are only 0,2 ?C higher. During winter, in concrete anticyclonic conditions, it can be 10 ?C warmer in the city than in the immediate surroundings. Together with the perennial growth of heat island intensity, its "space range" also expands. The space structure of the heat island is very distinct. Exceptions in the temperature values between certain points of measurements in the winter morning hours can go up to 6-8 ?C.


Author(s):  
Jorge André Guerreiro ◽  
João Filipe Marques

This chapter presents a case-study of tourism gentrification in a fishing town in Algarve, South Portugal. Olhão is a former industrial city that saw much of its fishing industry disappear since the 1980s. Over the last few years, hundreds of foreigners have moved into its historic centre. This rapid influx of citizens to derelict neighbours mostly comprised of old retirees and few active fishermen prompted a gentrification process. Olhão now faces the threat of mass displacements of its older and most vulnerable citizens, a fact that is worrying the foreigners that criticize the touristification of the city, with rents at historical highs and landlords forcing out the Portuguese residents in order to promote short-term rentals to tourists. The chapter presents the results obtained from an extensive mixed-methods research, ending with some notes about the future of the city and the implications that can be taken from this case.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (22) ◽  
pp. 13809-13825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinghui Lian ◽  
François-Marie Bréon ◽  
Grégoire Broquet ◽  
T. Scott Zaccheo ◽  
Jeremy Dobler ◽  
...  

Abstract. In 2015, the Greenhouse gas Laser Imaging Tomography Experiment (GreenLITE™) measurement system was deployed for a long-duration experiment in the center of Paris, France. The system measures near-surface atmospheric CO2 concentrations integrated along 30 horizontal chords ranging in length from 2.3 to 5.2 km and covering an area of 25 km2 over the complex urban environment. In this study, we use this observing system together with six conventional in situ point measurements and the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) and two urban canopy schemes (Urban Canopy Model – UCM; Building Effect Parameterization – BEP) at a horizontal resolution of 1 km to analyze the temporal and spatial variations in CO2 concentrations within the city of Paris and its vicinity for the 1-year period spanning December 2015 to November 2016. Such an analysis aims at supporting the development of CO2 atmospheric inversion systems at the city scale. Results show that both urban canopy schemes in the WRF-Chem model are capable of reproducing the seasonal cycle and most of the synoptic variations in the atmospheric CO2 point measurements over the suburban areas as well as the general corresponding spatial differences in CO2 concentration that span the urban area. However, within the city, there are larger discrepancies between the observations and the model results with very distinct features during winter and summer. During winter, the GreenLITE™ measurements clearly demonstrate that one urban canopy scheme (BEP) provides a much better description of temporal variations and horizontal differences in CO2 concentrations than the other (UCM) does. During summer, much larger CO2 horizontal differences are indicated by the GreenLITE™ system than both the in situ measurements and the model results, with systematic east–west variations.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinghui Lian ◽  
François-Marie Bréon ◽  
Grégoire Broquet ◽  
T. Scott Zaccheo ◽  
Jeremy Dobler ◽  
...  

Abstract. In 2015, the Greenhouse gas Laser Imaging Tomography Experiment (GreenLITETM) measurement system was deployed for a long-duration experiment in the center of Paris, France. The system measures near-surface atmospheric CO2 concentrations integrated along 30 horizontal chords ranging in length from 2.3 km to 5.2 km and covering an area of 25 km2 over the complex urban environment. In this study, we use this observing system together with six conventional in-situ point measurements and the WRF-Chem model coupled with two urban canopy schemes (UCM, BEP) at a horizontal resolution of 1 km to analyze the temporal and spatial variations of CO2 concentrations within the Paris city and its vicinity for the 1-year period spanning December 2015 to November 2016. Such an analysis aims at supporting the development of CO2 atmospheric inversion systems at the city scale. Results show that both urban canopy schemes in the WRF-Chem model are capable of reproducing the seasonal cycle and most of the synoptic variations in the atmospheric CO2 point measurements over the suburban areas, as well as the general corresponding spatial differences in CO2 concentration that span the urban area. However, within the city, there are larger discrepancies between the observations and the model results with very distinct features during winter and summer. During winter, the GreenLITETM measurements clearly demonstrate that one urban canopy scheme (BEP) provides a much better description of temporal variations and horizontal differences in CO2 concentrations than the other (UCM) does. During summer, much larger CO2 horizontal differences are indicated by the GreenLITETM system than both the in-situ measurements and the model results, with systematic east-west variations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Jancz ◽  
Radoslaw Trojanek

This article identifies and compares the housing preferences of seniors and pre-senior citizens in Poland. In addition, the attitude of residents of large cities in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship towards senior citizens’ housing was determined. Surveys were conducted in the two largest cities of this region. The influence of the potential behaviors of this group of society on the development of housing was also examined. Results showed that differentiation of housing preferences was visible primarily when choosing the type of development and size of the dwelling. Seniors preferred smaller units in multi-family housing construction. Pre-senior citizens, on the other hand, were more likely to think about living in a single-family house. The location of a new dwelling was also important. Seniors, more often than people aged 50–59, chose a location in the city center. Pre-senior citizens, in contrast, more often decided to live in a rural area or outside the city center. Moreover, the attitude of seniors towards senior citizens’ housing is undecided, which may indicate that many people may change their housing preferences in the future and decide to move.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Liu ◽  
Hidayat Ullah ◽  
Wanggen Wan ◽  
Zhangyou Peng ◽  
Li Hou ◽  
...  

Green areas or parks are the best way to encourage people to take part in physical exercise. Traditional techniques of researching the attractiveness of green parks, such as surveys and questionnaires, are naturally time consuming and expensive, with less transferable outcomes and only site-specific findings. This research provides a factfinding study by means of location-based social network (LBSN) data to gather spatial and temporal patterns of green park visits in the city center of Shanghai, China. During the period from July 2014 to June 2017, we examined the spatiotemporal behavior of visitors in 71 green parks in Shanghai. We conducted an empirical investigation through kernel density estimation (KDE) and relative difference methods on the effects of green spaces on public behavior in Shanghai, and our main categories of findings are as follows: (i) check-in distribution of visitors in different green spaces, (ii) users’ transition based on the hours of a day, (iii) famous parks in the study area based upon the number of check-ins, and (iv) gender difference among green park visitors. Furthermore, the purpose of obtaining these outcomes can be utilized in urban planning of a smart city for green environment according to the preferences of visitors.


2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Alves ◽  
Ana Isabel Queiroz

This article proposes a methodology to address the urban evolutionary process, demonstrating how it is reflected in literature. It focuses on “literary space,” presented as a territory defined by the period setting or as evoked by the characters, which can be georeferenced and drawn on a map. It identifies the different locations of literary space in relation to urban development and the economic, political, and social context of the city. We suggest a new approach for mapping a relatively comprehensive body of literature by combining literary criticism, urban history, and geographic information systems (GIS). The home-range concept, used in animal ecology, has been adapted to reveal the size and location of literary space. This interdisciplinary methodology is applied in a case study to nineteenth- and twentieth-century novels involving the city of Lisbon. The developing concepts of cumulative literary space and common literary space introduce size calculations in addition to location and structure, previously developed by other researchers. Sequential and overlapping analyses of literary space throughout time have the advantage of presenting comparable and repeatable results for other researchers using a different body of literary works or studying another city. Results show how city changes shaped perceptions of the urban space as it was lived and experienced. A small core area, correspondent to a part of the city center, persists as literary space in all the novels analyzed. Furthermore, the literary space does not match the urban evolution. There is a time lag for embedding new urbanized areas in the imagined literary scenario.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Adam Erlichman.

Although some green housing elements have become more commonplace in residential renovations in Canada, the undertaking of complete green retrofits is relatively uncommon. This paper explores the barriers to green retrofits, such as affordability and bureaucracy, in the urban context of the City of Toronto. The research was informed by one main case study, one supplementary case study, and six interviews with sustainable housing experts. The research has yielded nine recommendations that are directed towards three levels of government and related public and private housing organizations. These recommendations have been made in the hopes of making sustainable housing more ubiquitous in Toronto.


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