O estudo em microescala sobre a relação entre a forma arquitetônico-urbana e o meio ambiente constitui o objetivo desta pesquisa. Parte-se da hipótese de que existem formas arquitetônico-urbanas mais apropriadas do que as previstas pela legislação urbana e edilícia para o alcance do melhor desempenho ambiental, sendo possível avaliar quais as composições mais adequadas segundo os condicionantes locais. Nesse contexto, apresenta-se como objeto de estudo o recorte espacial de uma área urbana com alta densidade construída em Florianópolis-SC, que constitui a referência para analisar o impacto ambiental gerado pela forma arquitetônico-urbana e o resultado de seu desempenho final. Para essa avaliação, foram considerados os fatores ambientais associados com o desempenho térmico, luminoso e acústico do espaço urbano e arquitetônico, assim como algumas questões sobre a qualidade ambiental em escala local. A metodologia utiliza dados quantitativos e qualitativos obtidos em campo e em trabalhos de gabinete, por meio das seguintes etapas: 1. Exploratória (investigação bibliográfica, documental e infográfica); 2. Indutiva experimental (levantamento em campo de informações microclimáticas, individuais e subjetivas) e 3. Dedutiva computacional (simulação de modelos preditivos). A estrutura do trabalho está organizada para demonstrar como o objeto de pesquisa foi compreendido e como podem ser desenvolvidos os estudos nessa temática, apresentando primeiramente os condicionantes ambientais (paisagem natural e clima local) e a forma arquitetônico-urbana considerada, para posteriormente desenvolver a associação entre os temas principais – arquitetura e ambiente. A análise considera a percepção subjetiva da autora, a partir da observação de fragmentos do espaço arquitetônico-urbano, pertencentes a um todo. O trabalho comprova a hipótese inicial, na medida em que recomenda proposições de desenho arquitetônico e urbano para o caso estudado, tendo por base os critérios de desempenho ambiental. Além disso, estimula a discussão, o interesse e o conhecimento sobre o tema e corrobora a urgência de incorporação dos estudos ambientais no planejamento e nas propostas de desenho arquitetônico e urbano. / The study in microscale of the relationship between the architectural-urban form and the environment is the goal of this research. It starts with the hypothesis that there are more appropriate architectural-urban forms than those provided by the urban and construction legislation to achieve the best environmental performance, making possible to assess what are the most suitable compositions according to the local conditions. In this context, it is presented as a study object an urban area with high density built in Florianópolis-SC, which is the reference to analyze the environmental impact generated by the architectural-urban form and the result of their final performance. For this evaluation, it was considered the environmental factors associated with the heat, light and acoustic performance of urban and architectural space, as well as some features of the local environmental quality. The methodology uses quantitative and qualitative data obtained in loco and by the office work, through the following steps: 1. Exploratory (bibliographic, documentary and infographic research); 2. Experimental inductive (field measurements and structured interviews) and 3. Computational deductive (simulation of predictive models). The structure of the work demonstrates how the research object was understood and how can be developed studies in this subject, first presenting the environmental conditions (natural landscape and climate) and the architectural-urban form considered to further develop the association among the main themes - architecture and environment. The analysis considers the subjective perception of the author, from the observation of fragments of architecturalurban space, belonging to a whole. The work confirms the initial hypothesis, according as recommends architectural and urban design propositions for the case study, based on the environmental performance criteria. In addition, it stimulates discussion, interest and knowledge on the topic and confirms the urgent incorporation of environmental studies in the urban planning and in the architectural design proposals.

O presente estudo propõe a investigação dos lugares públicos - entendidos como a dimensão espacial da cotidianidade e locus da esfera de vida pública - buscando compreender relações entre os processos de apropriação do espaço urbano e a forma urbana contemporânea. O centro da cidade de São Paulo foi definido como objeto empírico para um ensaio a fim de apreender relações entre o espaço produzido e suas vivências. A escolha de uma área de importante significado simbólico e histórico, assim como, de intensa dinâmica de atividades e pessoas é devido à sua diversidade e potencial ao encontro público, propiciando uma leitura e interpretação sobre uma base empírica que estimula a reflexão proposta. Ao contrário de alguns discursos não há redução de sua vida pública, o que há é uma mudança nesta que adquire maior complexidade, novos usos e dinâmicas ocupam e recriam seus espaços em constante processo de transformação. O centro tem como herança um rico e ativo sistema de lugares públicos, protagonistas de grandes momentos da vida pública paulistana, palco de encontros, de trocas, de convergências, de conflitos e de manifestações. / This research proposes the investigation of public places - understood as the spatial dimension of daily life and locus of the public life sphere - trying to understand relationships between the urban space appropriation processes and the contemporary urban form. The center of the city of São Paulo was defined as empirical object to an essay in order to understand relations between his produced space and their experiences. The choice of an area of important symbolic and historical significance, as well as the intense dynamics of activities and people is because of its diversity and potential to the public meeting, providing a reading and interpretation on an empirical basis that encourages the reflection proposal. Unlike some speeches there no is a reduction of his public life, there is a change in this getting more complex, new uses and dynamics occupy and recreate their spaces in a constant process of transformation. The city center has as heritage a rich and active system of public places, protagonists of the great moments of São Paulo\'s public life, socializing stage, of exchanges, convergences, conflicts and events.

Nesta tese, investigam-se os centros urbanos e o fenômeno das centralidades na atualidade, tendo Palmas, capital do Tocantins, como objeto empírico. Palmas foi estabelecida a partir de um plano urbanístico, de 1989, para uma população ainda inexistente. Seus preceitos de racionalidade projetual são transgredidos já em seus primeiros anos, quando adentra efetivamente na lógica capitalista de produção do espaço urbano, tendo a gestão pública como participante fundamental desse processo. Como decorrência, desencadeia o fenômeno da multicentralidade prematuramente. Seus centros urbanos surgem deflagrando as contradições sociais e estampam os conflitos de seu processo de urbanização. Enquanto seu centro principal evoca simbolicamente o poder e está alinhado aos interesses hegemônicos, seus subcentros populares revelam uma construção coletiva do espaço e ricas apropriações de seus espaços livres públicos, abrindo maiores possibilidades para a vivência urbana e contribuindo para a formação da cidadania. / In this thesis, the urban centers and the phenomena of centralities are investigated today, with Palmas, the capital of Tocantins, as an empirical object. Palmas was established from an urban plan, from 1989, for a still non-existent population. Its precepts of design rationality are already transgressed in its early years, when it effectively penetrates into the capitalist logic of urban space production, with public management as a fundamental participant in this process. As a result, it triggers the phenomenon of multicentrality prematurely. Its urban centers emerge deflagrating the social contradictions and stamping the conflicts of its process of urbanization. While its main center symbolically evokes power and is aligned with hegemonic interests, its popular subcentres reveal a collective construction of space and rich appropriations of its public spaces, opening up greater possibilities for urban living and contributing to the formation of citizenship.

This thesis aims to explore how the urban form specifically sprawl affects travel behavior and travel distance in Riyadh. Since the city is expanding and the travel time gets longer, the first mode option is the car. The research question that reframes this thesis is, how does the urban form 'sprawl' affect travel behavior and distance in Riyadh specifically 'Al-Narjis and Al-Malaz' based on their density and land use. In order to respond to the thesis question, a qualitative research design including mixed qualitative methods has been used. This study conducted a web survey for Riyadh citizens, this survey got 6312 respondents. In addition, this study conducted in-depth online interviews including travel itinerary diaries with six participants, three from each of the two neighborhoods in the study area. The interviews' outputs were visualized through QGIS by producing six maps. The results indicate that travel behavior and travel distance in Riyadh are affected negatively by sprawl. This effect could be seen in the high dependency on automobiles that resulted from land use and city planning, longer trips due to disconnected streets, and poor service accessibility. As well as less usage of other transportation such as walking and cycling due to the lack of pedestrian infrastructure.

The severity of extreme heat events paired with the urban heat island effect cannot be overstated, as the impacts are substantial and widespread, affecting peak energy demands, transport systems, air and water quality, and most notably causing heat-related illnesses and death. These consequences make evident the importance of reducing heat in urban areas and ensuring that urban populations are safe during extreme heat events. In order to both reduce the urban heat island effect and prepare cities for a hotter future, it is critical to building our understanding of the cities at risk and the relationship between heat and the urban environment. This thesis applies urban morphology theory and remote sensing techniques to explore how urban typologies in Metro Boston perform during an extreme heat event. Included within the thesis is a literature review exploring urban heat methodologies and urban morphology, a desktop review examining a set of cities’ climate action reports, and a remote sensing-based analysis to determine the feasibility of uniting land surface temperature and public weather station data. The desktop review of cities determined that while each city has begun to implement numerous socially driven initiatives and large-scale green infrastructure plans, there is little work incorporating urban form within these strategies. Additionally, while the land surface temperature and weather station maps from the remote sensing analysis were deemed insufficient, several valuable questions and findings arose through the process. The case study analysis of Metro Boston identified three predominant urban forms in the study area and 12 sites were studied in relation to their heat performance in the morning, afternoon, and evening. The heat maps applied were developed through Heat Watch Report, a collaboration between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the municipalities of Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge, and CAPA Strategies. The analysis revealed there is a universal change in temperature among all forms throughout the day, with peak temperatures occurring in the late afternoon period. The study also concluded that while temperature between forms was not significant, variation between sites of the same form was observed, with internal vegetation composition (NDVI) and neighboring landcover and urban form becoming key factors in increasing or reducing experienced heat. / Svårighetsgraden av extrema värmehändelser i kombination med stadens värmeöeffekt kan inte överskattas eftersom dessa effekter är betydande och utbredda, vilket påverkar energibehov, transportsystem, luft- och vattenkvalitet och framför allt orsakar värmerelaterade sjukdomar och dödsfall. Dessa konsekvenser visar tydligt vikten av att minska värmen i stadsområden samt se till att stadsbefolkningarna är säkra under extrema värmehändelser. För att både minska stadens värmeöeffekt och förbereda städer för en varmare framtid är det avgörande att fördjupa vår förståelse för städer i riskzon och förhållandet mellan värme och stadsmiljö.  Denna avhandling tillämpar urban morfologiteori och fjärranalys tekniker för att utforska hur urbana typologier i Metro Boston presterar under en extrem värmehändelse. I avhandlingen ingår en litteraturöversikt som utforskar stadsvärmemetoder och stadsmorfologi, en undersökning av en uppsättning av städers klimatinsatsrapporter och en fjärravkänningsbaserad analys för att undersöka genomförbarheten att förena markytstemperaturen och offentliga väderstationsdata. Undersökningen av stadsklimatrapporterna visade att även om varje stad har börjat genomföra många socialt drivna initiativ och storskaliga gröna infrastrukturplaner, finns det i dagsläget lite arbete kring integrerande av stadsform i dessa strategier. Även om markytstemperaturen och väderstationskartan från fjärranalysanalysen ansågs otillräckliga uppstod flera värdefulla frågor och fynd genom processen.  Fallstudieanalysen av Metro Boston identifierade tre dominerande urbana former i studieområdet och 12 platser studerades i förhållande till deras värmeprestanda på morgonen, eftermiddagen och kvällen. De värmekartor som tillämpades utvecklades genom Heat Watch Report, ett samarbete mellan National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, kommunerna Boston, Brookline och Cambridge och CAPA Strategies. Analysen avslöjade en universell temperaturförändring bland alla former under dagen, med topptemperaturer som inträffar under sen eftermiddagsperiod. Studien visar också att medan temperaturskillnaderna mellan formerna inte var signifikanta, observerades variation mellan platser med samma form, med intern vegetationssammansättning och angränsande marktäkning och urban form som nyckelfaktorer för en ökad eller minskad upplevd värme.

The research explores multiple facets of a green infrastructure planning framework for climate change adaptation in urban regions. The research is organized in three distinct, but related parts. The first develops an adaptation implementation model based on triggering conditions rather than time. The approach responds to policy makers' reluctance to engage in adaptation planning due to uncertain future conditions. The model is based on planning and adaptation literature and applied to two case studies. Uncertainty during implementation may be reduced by incremental and flexible policy implementation, disbursing investments as needs arise, monitoring conditions, and organizing adaptation measures along no-regrets to transformational measures. The second part develops the green infrastructure transect as an organizational framework for mainstreaming adaptation planning policies. The framework integrates multi-scalar and context aspects of green infrastructure for vertical and horizontal integration of policy. The framework integrates literature from urban and landscape planning and tested on Boston. Prioritization of adaptation measures depends on location. Results suggest that green infrastructure adaptation policies should respond to configuration of zones. Cross jurisdiction coordination at regional and parcel scales supports mainstreaming. A secondary conclusion suggests that green infrastructure is space intensive and becomes the basis of the empirical study in part three. A spatial assessment method is introduced to formulate opportunities for green infrastructure network implementation within land-uses and across an urban-rural gradient. Spatial data in GIS for Boston is utilized to develop a percent pervious metric allowing the characterization of the study area into six zones of varying perviousness. Opportunities across land uses were assessed then maximum space opportunities were defined based on conservation, intensification, transformation and expansion. The opportunities for transformation of impervious surfaces to vegetal surfaces are highest in the urban center and its surrounding. Intensification of vegetation on pervious surfaces along all land uses is high across the gradient. Conservation of existing forested land is significant for future climate proofing. The concluding section argues for a green infrastructure planning framework for adaptation based on integration into existing infrastructural bodies, regional vision, incremental implementation, ecosystem benefits accounting, and conditions based planning rather than time based.

The widespread adoption of autonomous cars has the potential to revolutionize urban transportation, but what impact will it have on urban form? This thesis examines the hypothesis that adopting autonomous cars can transform street space into a more human-centric purpose, leading to more livable and sustainable cities. The research was conducted through a literature review, analysis of case studies, and the development of specific street designs in order to reveal possible scenarios. The literature review suggests that adopting autonomous cars can reduce the need for parking and increase the efficiency of transportation. Furthermore, the rise of shared cars is expected to revolutionize the way people move. With the advent of autonomous cars, it is possible that personal cars will become less necessary as people can rely on these constant-moving vehicles for transportation. These changes will impact our cities creating new opportunities to improve the urban space. The thesis explores these challenges and opportunities through design for the actual urban environment of Washington D.C. As the capital of the United States, the country where cars have significantly shaped its cities, it is also home to influential political and policy-makers. As a result, the city offers a good opportunity to rethink the future urban environment when this technology will be widely adopted. The findings of this thesis suggest that the adoption of autonomous cars has the potential to transform urban form reclaiming street space for people, but also requires careful planning and design to ensure that the benefits are distributed equitably and the negative impacts are minimized. The thesis concludes with four street proposals, each performing a different role in the city and the results provoke a reflection of the role of the street in our cities. / Master of Science / The widespread use of self-driving cars can transform our lives in cities. This new technology could lead to a more human-centered urban environment, where streets are designed for people rather than cars. The use of self-driving cars could also reduce the need for parking and improve the efficiency of transportation. However, this transformation requires careful planning and design to ensure that the benefits are distributed fairly and that negative impacts are minimized. A recent study looked at the potential impact of self-driving cars in Washington D.C., and suggests that the adoption of this technology could transform urban form and make cities more livable and sustainable. The study concludes with several street design proposals that could help shape the future of our cities. The findings of this thesis suggest that the adoption of autonomous cars has the potential to transform urban form reclaiming street space for people, it concludes with street proposals, each performing a different role in the city.

Les dynamiques urbaines consécutives à la baisse sur le temps long des coûts de transport conduisent à l'émergence de régions métropolitaines à l'urbanisation étalée, diffuse, polycentrique. Les enjeux actuels du développement soutenable soulèvent des questionnements sur l'aménagement des métropoles européennes, qui mêlent de multiples objectifs environnementaux, économiques et sociaux, à différentes échelles géographiques. Au travers de la construction d'indicateurs quantifiant les formes d'usage du sol, à plusieurs niveaux (communes françaises, bassins d'emplois, aires fonctionnelles, régions métropolitaines), des liens complexes sont mis en évidence entre types d'urbanisation, pratiques de mobilité quotidienne, et attributs de soutenabilité, co-produits sur le temps long par des choix de multiples acteurs urbains. Plusieurs bases de données sont mobilisées à cet effet : UITP, Audit Urbain, données nationales et régionales de France et d'Allemagne, ainsi qu'une base de données de densité de population, à une échelle géographique fine pour l'ensemble du continent européen (Agence Européenne de l'Environnement). En particulier, l'analyse des liens entre polycentrisme et consommation d'énergie due aux transport, en Ile-de-France et dans la région Rhin-Ruhr, conduit à des résultats nuancés, dans lesquels le coût de transport et la mutualisation des ressources énergétiques via des infrastructures de transport collectif performantes jouent un rôle important, au cœur des liens entre échelles spatiales de fonctionnement. L'aménagement de métropoles européennes soutenables passe sans doute par la compréhension des spécificités historiques de chaque territoire, et des multiples équilibres possibles entre villes, transport et environnement / The long-term decrease in transport costs made possible the emergence of sprawled, non-continuous and polycentric metropolitan urban regions. Sustainable development raises the question of smart planning of European metropolitan regions, with multiple environmental, economical and social objectives, at various geographical scales. Complex relationships are found between urban form, daily mobility patterns and sustainable aspects, through a quantification of several dimensions of urban form at various levels –local communities, employment catching areas, functional urban regions and metropolitan areas. International and national databases are used : UITP, Urban Audit, French and German statistical offices, as well as a pan European land use database (European Environment Agency). Links between polycentricity and energy consumed in daily mobility for Paris and Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan regions demonstrates shaded results, in which transport costs and effective public transport infrastructures play great role, interfacing several scales of functioning. Planning of European sustainable metropolitan regions would certainly benefit from a better knowledge of the long-term specificities of each area, as well as the multiple equilibriums which may arise between cities, transport and environment

L'objectif de cette thèse est de faire ressortir et d'analyser les facteurs liés à l'organisation spatiale de la population et des activités susceptibles de produire une mobilité plus durable. Sur la base du constat que le système de transports n'est pas durable, nous effectuons une approche par les coûts de la mobilité à partir de trois indicateurs représentatifs de la durabilité de la mobilité des ménages : les coûts annuels de la mobilité urbaine des ménages, le taux d'effort annuel consacré par les ménages pour leurs dépenses de transports et leurs émissions annuelles de CO2. Le lien entre forme urbaine et mobilité n'est pas simple. Il s'agit d'un lien de réciprocité complexe à définir. Les travaux montrent que trois dimensions de l'environnement local jouent au final sur la mobilité des ménages : la densité, la diversité et l'accessibilité. La démarche consiste à confronter les facteurs supposés explicatifs des indicateurs de durabilité de la mobilité des ménages et de déterminer quelle est la part expliquée par la forme urbaine. Sur le périmètre élargi de l'enquête ménages de Lyon (2006), notre approche par les coûts de la mobilité des ménages permet une approche des inégalités sur le plan financier. Par ailleurs, une simulation sur l'évolution des prix du carburant montre que les classes moyennes seront de plus en plus concernées par l'augmentation continue des prix du pétrole à l'avenir. Afin de déterminer la part des coûts de la mobilité expliquée par la forme urbaine, nous bâtissons des modèles explicatifs au niveau du ménage en y intégrant des variables de forme urbaine et variables socio-économique du ménage. L'analyse met aussi en évidence l'influence des pôles secondaires sur la vulnérabilité des ménages et les coûts de la mobilité. Les modèles par type de ménages montrent enfin que les effets de la forme urbaine sont différenciés suivant les types de ménage. Il est également intéressant de mesurer les économies générées par des changements marginaux de forme urbaine. Nous bâtissons pour cela des modèles économétriques à un niveau plus agrégé permettant le calcul de coefficients d'élasticité. En outre nous pouvons estimer en termes économiques les gains espérés suite à des changements de forme urbaine. / The aim of this thesis is to highlight and analyze the factors related to the spatial organization of the population and the economic activities which may produce a more sustainable mobility. By considering that the transport system is not sustainable, we measure mobility costs thanks to three indicators which represent the sustainability of household mobility: the annual costs of household urban mobility, the annual effort rate devoted by households to their transportation expenditures and the annual CO2 emissions. The link between urban form and mobility is not straightforward. Actually, it is a complex reciprocal link to be defined. The literature shows that three dimensions of local environment finally influence household mobility: density, diversity and accessibility. The method consists on confronting the factors alleged to explain the indicators of the sustainability of household mobility and on determining which part is explained by urban form. On the enlarged perimeter of the household travel survey of Lyon (2006), our approach based on household mobility costs enables, moreover, an approach to financial inequalities and introducing the notion of household vulnerability facing their transportation costs. In order to determine the share of mobility costs explained by urban form, we build some explanatory models, at the household level, by integrating urban form and socio-economic household variables. Especially the analysis focuses on the influence of secondary urban poles on the household vulnerability and mobility costs. Some explanatory models by household types show also that the effects of urban form are differentiated according to household categories. It is also interesting to measure the savings generated by marginal changes of urban form. To do that, we build some econometric models in a more aggregated level which allows computing elasticity coefficients. Thus, we can estimate, in economic terms, the expected savings that are triggered by urban form changes.

Cette thèse porte une vision urbanistique et morphologique sur le rapport ville/environnement. Elle se focalise sur le problème de la forme urbaine et sur un espace particulier : interface ville/eau. Elle a étudié le cas de Wuhan - une métropole fluviale en Chine où le réseau hydrographique a déterminé des formes spécifiques. Les analyses sont d'abord centrées sur l'état actuel des interfaces ville/eau : leur déploiement dynamique, leurs caractères spatiaux et les différentes logiques des tissus urbains. Les analyses portent ensuite sur l'évolution des interfaces, en examinant les projets et les modèles spatiaux appliqués durant quatre périodes successives selon quatre politiques : militaire, commerciale, industrielle et environnementale. La thèse se propose ainsi de renouer le dialogue entre la ville et ses eaux. Elle confirme que lorsque les eaux sont consciemment prises en compte, elles peuvent se révéler comme élément stimulant pour le développement urbain de toutes échelles / This thesis takes an urbanistic and morphological vision on the relation city/environment. It focuses on the problem of urban form at a particular space: interface city/water. It studies the case of Wuhan – a Chinese fluvial metropolis where the waters have determined the special urban forms. The analysis focus at first on the current state of the interfaces city/water: their dynamic deployment, their spatial characters and the different logics of the urban fabric. And then the analysis concern in the evolution of these interfaces on reviewing the urban projects and spatial models applied at waterfront in four successive periods with four distinct policies: military, commercial, industrial and environmental. In the end, the thesis proposes to resume the dialogue between the city and its waters. It confirms that when the waters are consciously taken into account, they may be revealed as a stimulant element for the urban development in all scales