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Located on floodplains of the Potomac River in Old Town Alexandria, Ford's Landing boasts a rich history, once known as the Ford Plant. Evolving from its industrial past, it underwent a transformative development in 1996, emerging as the rowhouse neighborhood that we now know today. Developed for a wealthy living in Old Town Alexandria, the neighborhood Ford's Landing now confronts geographical challenges exacerbated by the evolving impacts of Climate Change. In response to these challenges, 'Resilient Ford's Landing' is a project that focuses on three pivotal topics: stormwater management, urban heat island mitigation, and energy production. It strives to redefine Ford's Landing as a sustainable and resilient place by retrofitting, innovating, and tailoring solutions to the site as well as improving the quality of life for its residents while being a better, model neighbor against the adverse effects of a changing climate. / Master of Science / Ford Landing is a wealthy neighborhood of rowhouses in Old Town Alexandria that was developed in 1996. The site was originally known as the Ford Plant. Due to its location near the waterfront, the neighborhood is facing problems relating to flood, water, and climate change issues. 'Resilient Ford's Landing' is a project that focuses on tackling these challenges. It is about managing stormwater that runs through the streets of the neighborhood, creating better shade and infrastructure to reduce the presence of heat, and using renewable energy to become energy efficient. With these methods, the project's intention is to redefine Ford's Landing as a sustainable and resilient neighbor.

Expanding urbanization, characterized by increased impervious surfaces and decreased tree canopy, is contributing to rising urban temperatures. This trend has implications for energy consumption, which strategically placed trees can modify by casting shade upon building and ground surfaces. However, urban densification, a paradigm of modern residential land development, often constrains space for planting shade trees. Thus, the overall objective of this dissertation was to investigate shade tree planting strategies and their effects on residential cooling and heating energy conservation for dense urban neighborhoods in U.S. cities on a latitudinal gradient. The first study used a computer program called Shadow Pattern Simulator to examine the effects of tree form, tree placement, and sunlight exposure on shade provision for a residential structure model. Simulation results affirmed the conventional strategy in northern latitudes that recommends planting shade trees on the east or west aspect for maximizing beneficial shade while avoiding tree plantings on the south aspect to minimize any heating penalty of undesirable shade. However, in southern latitudes, planting trees on southerly aspect should not be discounted because the shorter heating season lessens the detrimental heating penalty while providing beneficial season shade. The second study, using an energy simulation program called EnergyPlus, evaluated the effect of a single shade tree upon the energy consumption of the structure model. This study affirmed that energy conservation benefits are influenced by the quantity as well as the quality of tree shade upon building surfaces. In addition, interactions between sun angle, tree form, and tree placement were observed to influence tree shade effects on annual energy consumption. In the third study, based on the first two studies, an alternative tree placement strategy, which reconfigured tree placement around the residential structure, was developed to maximize cooling and heating energy savings while attenuating space conflicts. The alternative strategy was found to be as effective as the conventional strategy while being more responsive to parcel or building orientations in dense urban neighborhoods. Overall, understanding the fundamental interactions between tree form, tree placement, and geographic settings is critical for improving energy conservation benefits of shade trees in dense urban settings. / Ph. D.

Over the last decade, rapidly growing world energy consumption is leading to supply difficulties, exhaustion of fossil energy resources, and global environmental deterioration. More than one-third of energy expenditure is attributable to buildings. Urbanization is intensifying these trends with tighter spatial interrelationships among buildings. This is escalating building energy consumption due to the mutual impact of buildings on each other and, as a result, exacerbating Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects. I sought solutions to this significant engineering issue from nature, and discovered a similar heat island effect in flowers, namely the micro-greenhouse effect. However, a special cooling effect has been observed in a peculiar temperate flower, Galanthus nivalis, which generates cooler intrafloral temperatures. In this research, I studied the special retro-reflectance of the flower petals, which has been suggested as a possible contributor to this cooling effect, and implemented a bio-inspired retro-reflective pattern for building envelopes. I conducted cross-regional energy simulation of building networks in a dynamic simulation environment in order to examine its thermal-energy impact. I found that building surface temperatures dropped considerably when neighboring buildings were retrofitted with my bio-inspired retro-reflective facade. I concluded that my bio-inspired retro-reflective pattern for building envelopes; (1) lessens the reflected heat of solar radiation in spatially-proximal buildings leading to reduced UHI, and (2) reduces the energy required for cooling and, therefore, energy consumption. The research has further implications and contributions on building design, urban planning, development of retro-reflective technology, and environmental conservation. / Master of Science

Climate change will increase the intensity and duration of heat waves in Sweden. Vulnerable communities are especially affected by the effects of heat waves and since children rely on adults to provide comfort, children are particularly affected by heat wave impacts. The aim of this study was to characterize how preschool children and preschool activities were affected by heat exposure based on the perspectives of preschool educators. Six group interviews were conducted with twelve preschool educators in Linköping and Norrköping and the data was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The results indicate that the lack of shaded areas in the preschool yards causes considerable negative impacts on the health of preschool children and obstructs suitable preschool activities. Future research should explore the possibilities of connecting urban planners with preschool educators in the planning phase of preschools in order to utilize their experiences on how to mitigate the effects of heat waves on preschools. / BRIGHT

As a result of climate change and urbanization, rising temperatures are causing increasing concern about extreme heat in cities worldwide. Urban extreme heat like other climate-related phenomena is a complex problem that requires expertise from a range of disciplines and multi-faceted solutions. Therefore, this study aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of urban heat issue by taking a multi-level approach that integrates science, technology, and policy. Throughout the three main papers of this dissertation, a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, such as microclimate modeling, machine learning, statistical analysis, and policy content analysis, are used to analyze urban heat from different perspectives. The first paper of this dissertation focuses on the street canyon scale, aiming to identify the physical and vegetation parameters that have the greatest impact on changing thermal conditions in urban environments and to understand how these parameters interact with each other. Moving towards identifying applicable heat-related data and measurement techniques, the second paper assesses whether lower-resolution temperature data and novel sources of vulnerability indicators can effectively explain intra-urban heat variations. Lastly, the third paper of this dissertation reviews heat-related plans and policies at the Planning Districts level in Virginia, providing insights into how extreme heat is framed and addressed at the regional and local levels. This analysis is particularly important for states such as Virginia, which historically have not experienced multiple days of extreme heat during summers, as is common in southern and southwestern states of the United States. The results of this study provide insights into the contributing and mitigating factors associated with extreme heat exposure, novel heat-related data and measurement techniques, and the types of analysis and information that should be included in local climate-related plans to better address extreme heat. This dissertation explores new avenues for measuring, understanding, and planning extreme heat in cities, thereby contributing to the advancement of knowledge in this field. / Doctor of Philosophy / Due to climate change and fast city growth, temperatures are rising, and extreme heat is becoming a big worry in cities worldwide. Urban extreme heat is a challenging problem that needs expertise from different majors and diverse solutions. This dissertation aims to understand urban heat better by integrating science, technology, and policy. The three main research papers of this dissertation use various methods like modeling, statistics, and policy analysis to study urban heat from different angles. The first paper focuses on city streets and how certain physical features and vegetation affect citizens' thermal comfort. The second paper explores new ways to measure heat in urban areas, including using new sources of data and the application of lower-resolution data. Finally, the third paper reviews heat-related plans and policies in Virginia, helping us understand how extreme heat is addressed in areas that might not be accustomed to high temperatures. This dissertation's findings provide useful insights into why the severity of extreme heat is not the same in different parts of cities, present new ways to measure this difference and find solutions to lessen the negative impacts of exposure to heat. It also shows what information needs to be included in plans and policies to better deal with extreme hot weather at the local level such as in towns and cities. By exploring new ways to understand and handle extreme heat in cities, this research helps make progress in this important field. The goal of this research is to help cities prepare for and cope with urban extreme heat, keeping people safe and creating sustainable cities for the future.

While satellite-based remote sensing techniques are often used for studying and visualizing the urban heat island effect, they are limited in terms of resolution, view bias, and revisit times. In comparison, modern UAVs equipped with infrared sensors allow very fine-scale (cm) data to be collected over smaller areas and can provide the means for a full 3D thermal reconstruction over limited spatial extents. Irrespective of the data collection method, the thermal properties of cities are typically visually represented using color, although the choice of colormap varies widely. Previous cartographic research has demonstrated that colormap and other cartographic choices affect people's understanding. This research study examines the difference in map reading performance between satellite and drone-sourced thermal pseudo-color images for three map reading tasks, the impact of color map selection on map reading, and the potential benefits of adding shading to thermal maps using high-resolution digital surface models for improved interaction. Participants expressed a preference for the newly designed rainbow-style color map "turbo" and the FLIR "ironbow" colormap. However, user preferences were not strongly related to map reading performance, and differences were partly explained by the extra information afforded by multi-hue and shading-enhanced images. / Master of Science / While satellite-based remote sensing techniques are often used for studying and visualizing the urban heat island effect, they are limited in terms of resolution, view bias, and revisit times. In comparison, modern drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with infrared sensors allow very fine-scale (cm) data to be collected over smaller areas and can provide the means for a full 3D thermal reconstruction over a small area. Irrespective of the data collection method, the thermal properties of cities are typically visually represented using color, although the choice of colormap varies widely. Previous cartographic research has demonstrated that colormap and other cartographic choices affect people's understanding. This research study examines the difference in map reading performance between satellite and drone-sourced thermal pseudo-color images for three map reading tasks, the impact of color map selection on map reading, and the potential benefits of adding hillshade augmentation to thermal maps using high-resolution digital surface models for improved interaction. Participants expressed a preference for the newly designed rainbow-style color map "turbo" and the FLIR "ironbow" colormap. However, user preferences were not strongly related to map reading performance, and differences were partly explained by the extra information afforded by multi-hue and shading-enhanced images.

Syftet med studien var att kartlägga urban heat island [UHI]- och klimatanpassningsåtgärder som London och Stockholm arbetat med för att reducera UHI-effekten i respektive stad. Eftersom London upplever en högre UHI-effekt har de därmed kommit längre i deras arbete, studien fokuserade därför även på att förstå vad som är bakgrunden till att Stockholm brister i sitt arbete. En semikvalitativ innehållsanalys användes för att besvara frågeställningarna. Tre statliga dokument från respektive stad analyserades genom kodning och kategorisering. Åtgärderna som hittades graderades utifrån typ av åtgärd (åtta olika kategorier) och nivå på åtgärd (planerad, pågående eller genomförd). Resultatet visade att London har ett mer utförligt och proaktivt arbete med att motverka UHI än Stockholm, dels för att de lyfte budget och investeringar för deras olika åtgärder. Projekten är även större och omfattar fler områden än Stockholm. Stockholm har därmed mycket att hämta från Londons UHI- och klimatanpassningsarbete. Trots att Stockholm hade fler åtgärder är det inte lika omfattande och utvecklade jämfört med London som hade större projekt, program och policys. Resultatet visade att fler åtgärder genomförts i London. Det framgick att attityden skiljer sig åt mellan städerna. Stockholm måste förstå allvaret och borde påskynda sitt arbete genom att lägga ner mer resurser och samarbeta med aktörer för att säkerställa att projekten uppfylls och underhålls. / The purpose of this study was to map the urban heat island [UHI] and climate adaptation measures that London and Stockholm are implementing to reduce the UHI effect. London experiences a higher UHI effect, and therefore are more advanced in their work in contrast to Stockholm. The study employed a semi-qualitative content analysis, in addition with three government documents from each city which were analysed through coding. The measures found were categorised according to type of measure (eight different categories) and level of measure (planned, ongoing or implemented). The results showed that London has a more comprehensive and proactive approach to tackling UHI than Stockholm, through raising budgets and investments for their various actions, larger projects, and projects that cover more areas than Stockholm. Stockholm can utilise the development of London's UHI and climate adaptation work to better fix their issue. Although Stockholm has more measures, these are not as extensive and developed compared to London, which has larger projects, programmes and policies, in addition with more active measures being implemented in London. From the analysis it was evident that attitudes differ between Stockholm and London. Stockholm needs to understand the seriousness and should accelerate its work by putting more resources and collaborating with stakeholders to ensure that projects are fulfilled and maintained.