Includes bibliographical references / This urban design thesis is a study of the urban issues and design principles pertinent to Port Cities. 'Man meets water': Our primordial psyche Man has had a relationship with water since time immemorial. Moving freely from earth to water is an activity which comes naturally to the human being. According to Eastern philosophy, Earth is the most important element. It comprises matter in a solid state, represents stability, physicality and gravity. Water is the second most significant element and represents fluidity, flexibility and adaptability (Ninjutsu.co.uk). Man meets water, in other words, is the moving from one realm to the other. In urban design terms, where 'Man meets water' is the 'in between' space - the interface. This is the area where two worlds come together - an area of interaction, interconnectedness and interrelationship. The area of study is a precinct of Port Louis - the interface between land and sea, as shown in Figure 1.1. The original urban quality of Port Louis has become degraded as a result of post-independence modernisation. The interface has been reshaped spatially and functionally. The original city of Port Louis was founded on the harbour, which was central to social, commercial and residential life. Today, the harbour is segregated from the city fabric. This thesis aims to explore the nature and design principles of places and spaces that lie within this land-water interface in order to formulate an urban design proposal wherein the land is reconnected to the water - an urban intervention for a people-oriented port city.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-01T11:58:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 6623939 bytes, checksum: b0af2371c92d11dc1ed5c86e8a066dbf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-11-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The cartographic representation from a city s climatic data is an information and evaluation tool that helps understand environmental and urban problems, assisting decisions involving urban planning. According to this, this research analyzed the City of Joao Pessoa (Brazil) applying the methodology of Urban Climatic Map (UCMap) developed by Katzschner, (DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE , 2008), which implies on an assessment of urban climate, determined by its thermal load (thermal characteristics) and its dynamic potential (urban air ventilation). In that sense, maps indicating building volume, green spaces, ground coverage, and proximity of open spaces which promote air paths, were elaborated. Through these maps, these areas were evaluated and classified about the tendency to increase air temperature and the obstruction to wind flow. This method produces information that contributes to future architectonic and urban interventions and the appliance of climatic criteria into urban planning, resulting on life quality benefits to the local population. Analyzing the data obtained through these maps, it may be perceived that the changes caused by increasing building volume, reduction of wind paths and the loss of green coverage areas are interfering on Joao Pessoa s urban climate. / A reprodução cartográfica das informações climáticas da cidade é um instrumento que pode auxiliar no entendimento das questões ambientais urbanas e na tomada de decisão no planejamento das cidades. Diante disto, na presente pesquisa caracterizou-se a cidade de João Pessoa a partir da metodologia de mapeamento climático, aplicada por Katzschner, (DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, 2008), que avalia o clima urbano considerando o balanço de energia da cidade, determinado pela sua carga térmica (características térmicas) e seu potencial dinâmico (ventilação). Nesse sentido, foram elaborados os mapas de volume construído, de áreas verdes, de ocupação do solo, e de proximidades a elementos que favorecem a ventilação. Através desses mapas, realizaram-se a classificação e a valoração das áreas da cidade segundo suas capacidades de elevação da temperatura do ar e de obstrução aos escoamentos dos ventos. Essa classificação e valoração fornecem informações que podem auxiliar futuras intervenções arquitetônicas e urbanísticas e incorporação de critérios climáticos ao planejamento da cidade, contribuindo para a melhoria da qualidade de vida de seus habitantes. Das análises dos resultados dos referidos mapas, constataram-se que as alterações causadas pelo aumento do volume construído, pela redução da porosidade ao escoamento de vento e pela escassez da cobertura vegetal têm provocado alterações no clima urbano de João Pessoa.