Multi-Scale
Urban System Modelling For Thermal Comfort Liveability Planning And
Design
Tian-Kuay
Lim
National Environment Agency of
Singapore
Noon Nov 2 in Room 2155
Abstract:
The urban heat island phenomenon has become a concern in many major
cities worldwide, as high summer temperatures and poor wind flow in
highly urbanised areas can have negative impacts on thermal comfort and
health of residents by trapping air pollution, and increasing energy
demand for artificial cooling. As a high-density city in the tropics,
Singapore is similarly susceptible to high temperatures and the related
negative impacts. To meet the population and economic needs in
Singapore, it is essential that the microclimatic impacts of upcoming
urban developments, as well as the long-term effects of climate change,
are assessed early during the planning process, and for the appropriate
design and mitigation measures to be incorporated upfront in the plans.
This study seeks to develop a multi-scale coupled natural-human urban
system modelling for urban planners, stakeholders and decision-makers
to refine land use and development plans for maintaining good thermal
comfort in both the immediate and longer term future using multiple
indicators, including environmental and human response indicators.
A multi-scale coupled environmental urban model using global to
mesoscale atmospheric and computational fluid dynamics urban model to
estimate wind, temperature and humidity ranging from global scales to
urban street-level scales, is integrated with a multi-dimensional
statistical model for human comfort, which includes calibration of the
environmental conditions using in-situ observations from ground sensors
to compute the physiological metrics to measure human comfort
(questionnaires) which includes human activity, individual differences
such as ageing and the psychological aspects such as the influence of
colours, materials and lighting in the design on the perception of heat.
This study identifies the necessity to link different temporal and
spatial scales, multi-disciplinary measures and tools to enhance and
deepen the understanding of urban ecosystems for thermal comfort
assessment to support urban design and redevelopment in Singapore.