During winter the sun is in short supply. But research at KTH shows that solar radiation can be facilitated while energy consumption for lighting is reduced. This provided that the buildings are appropriately designed. But, unfortunately, the sunlight is often not taken into account and the results are the opposite. The energy savings depend on good town planning where the daylight is accessible for longer periods of time during the day, both indoors and outdoors. Then, the periods of use for electric light will decrease. This research is one of the first studies which evaluate the savings in energy with electric lighting due to the use of daylight in urban planning. Three different patterns for street layouts are evaluated and discussed in this report. For example, with straight streets it is possible to save approximately 11 % of the electric energy for the exterior lighting compared to a bending street during twilight.   However, it is possible to improve the daylight distribution with geometrical adjustments even along bending streets. Varying the height of the building along the street front and adding openings between the buildings can make for good daylight distribution, like in the strategic straight line format. The energy efficiency of the bending streets can be improved so the loss in energy efficiency compared to a straight street can be reduced from 11 % to 4 %, in a specific case.   The energy savings are not so great that they alone can justify a specific street type. A number of other factors must also be considered, such as architectural style, uniformity and the building system. A long-term goal is practical guidelines for “better” geometry in urban design, taking into consideration the sun and daylight. The construction cost is not higher in such geometries than in conventional designs, since daylight is free. Therefore daylight can open up for new types of settlements with advantages as more space with more outlooks. / <p>QC 20161028</p>

This thesis highlights the role of urban planners in the revitalization of historic seafronts as creative and attractive places for people and a key factor in the regeneration of the urban economy in the historic seafront areas. The Saudi Arabia historic seafront areas along the North Red Sea have been neglected and are suffering because of slow development and changes to industrial uses. This thesis will focus on the urban design principles that make historic seafronts more attractive and successful, and will use a case study approach of several American waterfront cities such as Baltimore, Maryland; San Francisco, California; and Charleston, South Carolina. These American cities and the urban design principles applied for their successful revitalization were selected for analysis because of their similarities with the Yanbu Al-Bahr's historic seafront. The results of this analysis will enable planners to apply the best of these urban waterfront design models to assist in the revitalization of historic seafronts along the North Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).