Global warming risks overthrowing the Earth's climate system, which would mean thatmany communities need to be reshaped and adapted to a new climate. The PublicHealth Agency of Sweden has run a project during the years 2017-2019 that aims toincrease society's ability to identify, prevent and manage harmful heat in existingbuildings. The project focuses on covering the occurrence and developing measures toprevent heat stress in both urban outdoor- and indoor environments. The agency has commissioned a GIS method which, based on the buildings' groundcover, aims to identify areas that are at risk of developing harmful temperatures. Themethod is based on first calculating the total land area of the cities in order to be able tocalculate the proportion of the area covered by high vegetation, hardened surfaces,building bodies and low vegetation. Based on this calculation, areas with a highproportion of paved surfaces and building bodies as well as a low proportion of highvegetation have been identified as areas with a higher risk of developing harmfultemperatures. In this essay, the method has been used to identify risk areas in KalmarCounty's largest cities; Kalmar, Västervik and Oskarshamn. High temperatures can be dangerous for all people, but elderly people are highlighted asa particularly vulnerable group as they have a reduced ability to regulate bodytemperature. Therefore the survey of the thesis has been supplemented with data onwhere people over the age of 65 live in relation to the risk areas in order to make furtherpriorities in where the measures are needed the most. The conclusion is that the need for cooling measures in the mapped cities is greatest inthe urban centers, as the high density of urban areas there provides good conditions fordeveloping high temperatures while a large part of the old population live in thesecentral areas. Several industrial areas have been identified as risk areas in all mappedcities, but there the need for cooling measures is less as they are usually located on theoutskirts of the cities and lack residents over 65 years. The exception is the OldIndustrial Area in Kalmar, whose central location and the circular design of Kalmarindicate that high temperatures develop here at night, which can drive the urban heatisland in the city.

En 2003 des mesures au spectromètre IR à Transformée de Fourier (FTIR) ont permis d'identifier et de mesurer les COV émis par la décharge à ciel ouvert de la Gabarre, principale de l'île Guadeloupe, située entre une zone urbaine et une mangrove. Ces COV ont été retrouvés (2004) la nuit dans les cités, justifiant les plaintes des riverains. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, des mesures au spectromètre de masse portatif MS 200 ont validé ces résultats du FTIR. De nouvelles mesures au MS 200 ont été menées dans toute la zone de la décharge. Les cités concernées étant à l'opposé du flux synoptique d'Alizés-Est, les facteurs météorologiques permettant la dispersion et le transport des COV de la décharge vers la zone urbaine ont été recherchés. La diminution nocturne de l'intensité des Alizés au dessus de l'ile peut laisser place à des phénomènes locaux tels les brises. L'idée d'une brise terre-mer a été éliminée. Un maillage autou~ de la décharge (cités et mangrove) avec 8 thermomètres a révélé un îlot de chaleur urbain nocturnegénérant une brise thermique d'environ Ims- I (mesurée et calculée). Avec les radiosondages Météo France et un SODAR installé dans la décharge, une très forte stabilité dans les basses couches atmosphériques de la couche limite nocturne avec une inversion de surface d'environ 120mvv apparait. Ces facteurs expliquent la pollution des cités par les COV de la décharge, Un modèlevGaussien en tenant compte a été validé par les mesures de COV.vCette étude peut être étendue à d'autres décharges à ciel ouvert et à d'autres types de traitement de polluants de décharge. / In 2003, the VOC emissions coming from "La Gabarre", the main open landfill in Guadeloupe, located in-between an urban area and a mangrove, were identified and quantified with a portable FTIR spectrometer. In 2004, COVs found at nighttime in the urban area nearby confirmed why residents complain about. As part of this thesis, portable mass spectrometer MS 200 measurements validated these FTIR figures. New systematic SM measurements have been carried on around the landfill. Since the polluted urban area stands on the opposite way of the East Trade winds synoptic flux, aIl the weather factors likely to scatter and transport the dump COVs were scrutinized. At night, the strength of the Trade winds decreases over Guadeloupe, which may give way to local phenomena such as breezes. The occurrence of land/sea breeze was eliminated. A close surveying surrounding the landfill with 8 thermometers both in the projects and in the mangrove revealed an urban heat island causing thermal breezes of about lms-l (measured and calculated). Using soundings from Meteo France, and a SODAR inside the dump, we found a great stability of the night boundary layer with a surface inversion near 120m. Pollution of the nearby urban area with landfill COVs is elucidatcd by the above factors. A transport Gaussian model is in agreement with COV measurements. This study can be extended to different open landfills and different types of polluting matters processes in dumps

Cities are rapidly expanding, and global warming is intensified in urban environments due to the urban heat island effect. Therefore, urban animals may be particularly susceptible to warming associated with ongoing climate change. Thus, I used a comparative and manipulative approach to test three related hypotheses about the determinants of heat tolerance or critical thermal maximum (CTmax) in urban ants—specifically, that (1) body size, (2) hydration status, and (3) preferred micro-environments influence CTmax. I further tested a fourth hypothesis that native species are particularly physiologically vulnerable in urban environments. I manipulated water access and determined CTmax for 11 species common to cities in California's Central Valley that exhibit nearly 300-fold variation in body mass. Inter- (but not intra-) specific variation in body size influenced CTmax where larger species had higher CTmax. The sensitivity of ants’ CTmax to water availability exhibited species-specific thresholds where short-term water limitation (8 h) reduced CTmax in some species while longer-term water limitation (32 h) was required to reduce CTmax in other species. However, CTmax was not influenced by the preferred foraging temperatures of ants. Further, I did not find support for my fourth hypothesis because native species did not exhibit reduced thermal safety margins, or exhibit CTmax values that were more sensitive to water limitation relative to non-native species. In sum, understanding the links between heat tolerance and water availability will become critically important in an increasingly warm, dry, and urbanized world that may be selecting for smaller (not larger) body size.

No description available.

Buildings account for over 35% of the energy demand in OECD countries, making them a prime target for improvement. (EIA 2011) To help building owners reduce energy usage, ratings systems such as LEED have been developed. A prerequisite for certification is the demonstration of energy efficiency through computer modeling; however, the complex nature of building energy simulations too often leads to errors of up to 30% (Turner and Frankel 2008). One source of significant error can be the assumptions made of environmental conditions, which are often simplified to speed up simulations. To demonstrate the significance of active microclimate modeling, a building energy model combined with a microclimate model has been created in RadTherm, a commercial CAE thermal solver. Simulations are run using Passive House construction in three types of environments, and demonstrate an increase in energy demand over an annual time scale when microclimatic components are included. The increase in demand is less than 1%, however the decrease in radiant heat losses are up to 30%. Using the same methodology with revisions to the building construction and urban geometry, a larger increase in energy demand is expected.

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.

Human interference with the Earth’s climate, through the release of greenhouse gasses (GHGs), is estimated to have already increased average statewide temperatures in California by 1.7° Fahrenheit (F), with a further 2.7°F of warming expected by mid-century. The negative impacts of increased temperatures may be especially acute in mid-latitude cities that currently enjoy a mild climate, such as Los Angeles (LA), which are projected to warm to a point that will significantly affect human health and well being. The built environment increases urban temperatures through building materials that readily absorb heat from the sun, a lack of vegetation, a lack of pervious surface area, and anthropogenic heat. Local governments can take action to help their cities adapt to future temperatures through changes to building materials, urban design and infrastructure. This study evaluates six urban design strategies for reducing temperatures and therefore adapting to increased heat in LA: cool roofs, cool pavements, solar panels, tree planting, structural shading and green roofs. The methods used in this analysis include a cost-effectiveness analysis, key stakeholder interviews, and case studies from other cities in the US. Findings indicate that cool roofs are the most cost-effective strategy for urban heat island mitigation, with cool pavements and tree planting also cost-effective. Findings from stakeholder interviews indicate that political feasibility is high for all strategies except structural shading, which was thought to be costly and difficult to implement. However, significant political barriers were also identified for tree planting and green roofs. Findings from four case studies indicate that climate adaptation policies should emphasize co-benefits, include flexible design standards, and provide financial or performance-based incentives for property owners or developers. Specific recommendations for implementing climate adaptation measures are provided for urban planners, policy makers, urban designers and architects in Los Angeles.

No description available.

Climate change effects are getting more evident year by year. Athens is specially affected by climate change related shocks, especially by poor air quality, flooding and heat waves. Every year climate shocks threatens and worsens the situation in the city. The municipality of Athens, together with the European Investment Bank and EQO-NIXUS (consulting company) have undertaken a project in order to increase the resilience and the mitigation and adaptation measures of the city, taking as case study 5 public buildings located in different areas of the centre of the city. This project is in line with the Athens Resilience Strategy drawn by the Municipality of Athens in order to integrate new ways to prepare and protect the city from future shocks and stresses. This study aims to investigate and propose mitigation and adaptation measures that could be potentially applied into the 5 selected public buildings in order to improve the energy efficiency and the resilience towards heat waves, flooding and pollution of the air. A literature review study has been performed in order to look for good practices worldwide in terms of energy efficiency and climate mitigation and adaptation in order to find the best measures that could be applied in the 5 selected buildings. Finally, a multi-criteria decision analysis has been executed to prioritise which measures result to be more relevant for each specific building. The study shows that, in overall, energy efficiency and raise of public awareness are the most relevant measures that can be potentially applied in the buildings in order to tackle the climate shocks that threatens Athens. Finally, if the measures are applied into the buildings and the resilience and energy efficiency measures are improved, this study could be replicated to other buildings of Athens in order to achieve the 2030 strategy plan set by the municipality of Athens. / Effekterna av klimatförändringen blir alltmer tydliga. Greklands huvudstad Aten påverkas exempelvis av försämrad luftkvalitet, översvämningar och värmeböljor och extrema klimatrelaterade händelser förvärrar situationen i staden. Atens kommun har tillsammans med Europeiska investeringsbanken och EQO-NIXUS (ett privat konsultföretag) genomfört ett projekt för att öka motståndskraften mot klimatförändringens effekter, genom anpassningsåtgärder, där fem offentliga byggnader i olika delar av Atens centrum studeras. Projektet är relaterat till Atens resiliensstrategi som handlar om hur staden ska integrera nya sätt förbereda och skydda staden och dess invånare från framtida extrema händelser och påfrestningar. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka och föreslå anpassningsåtgärder som potentiellt kan tillämpas i de fem olika offentliga byggnaderna för att förbättra energieffektiviteten och resiliensen mot värmeböljor, översvämningar och luftföroreningar. En litteraturstudie har genomförts för att identifiera globala, goda exempel när det gäller energieffektivitet och anpassning till ett förändrat klimat som potentiellt kan tillämpas i de fem byggnaderna. Slutligen har en multikriterieanalys med flera kriterier genomförts för att prioritera vilka åtgärder som är mest relevanta för varje specifik byggnad. Studien visar att energieffektivitet och ökning av allmänhetens medvetenhet totalt sett är de mest relevanta åtgärderna som potentiellt kan tillämpas i byggnaderna för att hantera klimatförändringar. Slutligen, om dessa åtgärder tillämpas och resiliensen och energieffektivitetsåtgärderna förbättras, skulle denna studie kunna vara relevant även för andra byggnader i Aten och därmed bidra till uppfyllelsen av stadens 2030-strategi.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Architecture / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy