Paper Conference
Proceedings of ASim Conference 2014: 2nd Asia conference of IBPSA-China, Japan, Korea
 
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Microclimate and Crowd Motion as Decision-making Tools for Urban Planning and Design
Anna Lan, Yi Han, Carl YouAbstract: Given the flourish of urban construction projects in China in recent years, the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon is a pressing concern for urban planners and designers. Traditional heat island detection and microclimate tools require software and lengthy run time, both of which are not suitable for the early stages of urban planning and masterplans. For planners interested in producing measurable heat-resilient designs, there is an urgent need for tools that are easily operable and scaled for multi-hectare designs. Therefore, this research combines microclimate and crowd motion software to test it on a neighborhood-sized project located in Foshan, China. Through ENVI-met and Arup’s interactive planning tool called Pocket City, planners are able to map the impacts of heat and its influence on pedestrian behaviors on site. The results show that unless public spaces are well shaded during the morning and midday hours, visitor retention rate is low and key commercial spots stand to suffer financial loss. The key significance of this study is finding quantitative and visual methods that improves urban planning techniques, increase consideration for pedestrian comfort, and add value to the quality of designs through technology. Keywords: Urban Planning, Urban Heat Island, Microclimate, ENVI-met, Pocket CityPages: 204 - 211 Paper:asim2014_030_a4-29-346