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.

This thesis focuses on problems that have resulted from the increasing pressure facing urban and suburban land use in South Africa, brought on by a number of different factors including the political and historical background of the country, as well as by rapid urbanization. The objective of this thesis is to present the perspectives applied in the analysis of the built environment in selected case studies, in which different theoretical and methodological approaches have been developed to address the research questions. The empirical part of this thesis consists of four case studies, in which selected low-income housing projects are analyzed from a perspective of how to facilitate higher densities. A central question addressed is whether the provision of housing structures built at higher densities, maintain, improve, or aggravate spatial qualities; and whether the application of these types of projects can be considered as possible alternatives to address the problem of urban sprawl in South Africa. The study finds that the house types analyzed address the density dimension of urban sprawl, thus reducing the amount of land consumed. There is room for increasing densities and overall urban land use efficiency, to which the housing types analyzed in this study may contribute. This implies that cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg, which suffer from urban sprawl, have the possibility to grow in terms of population without having to expand further in terms of land use. The analysis of spatial qualities shows the studied types maintain positive spatial qualities, and have the possibility of increasing living standards. Nevertheless, a number of other dimensions need to be included when addressing urban sprawl conditions, in order to consider the possibility of replicating these housing types. Furthermore, this study advances approaches in terms of methodologies and concepts applied, which aim to contribute to an increased understanding of the current knowledge in the housing and urban planning fields focusing on questions of urban sprawl in general / <p>QC 20100909</p>

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

L'étalement urbain et le transport sont deux problématiques prépondérantes à La Réunion. Dans un contexte de forte croissance démographique où le million démographique est prévu pour 2030, la question de l'occupation du sol devient primordiale. Le relief réunionnais présentant des spécificités telles, que presque deux tiers de l'île sont indisponibles à l'urbanisation, la problématique de l'étalement urbain devient de plus en plus importante. Dans le même temps, le réseau routier réunionnais, limité également par le relief, est déjà saturé et la problématique transport occupe une grande place dans les préoccupations en matière d'aménagement, à l'exemple de la Route du Littoral. Ainsi, cette relation transport et aménagement est particulièrement importante. Cette thèse propose ainsi de découvrir, à l'échelle des aires urbaines, les différentes formes d'étalement urbain visibles à la Réunion et s'interrogeant sur d'éventuelles similarités avec des territoires non limités par le relief. En effet, une question est posée : le milieu insulaire favorise-t-il des formes d'étalement spécifiques ? De même, la relation entre transport et étalement urbain est mise en exergue à travers les exemples des trois principales aires urbaines de l'Île : Saint-Denis, Saint-Paul- Le Port et Saint-Pierre. A partir de leur évolution depuis 1990 nous proposons quelques scénarios d'évolution qui permettent d'alerter sur la nécessité d'une approche transport-urbanisme dans les futurs projets d'aménagement de l'Île de La Réunion. / Urban sprawl and transport are two dominating problems in Reunion Island. In a context of strong population growth where the demographic million is planned for 2030, the question of the land use becomes essential. The relief of the island is so difficult, that almost two-thirds of the island are unavailable to urbanization. Thus, the urban sprawl question is becoming increasingly important. At the same time, the road network of Reunion Island is also limited by the relief and already saturated. The transportation problem occupies an important place in the development concerns, like the Route du Littoral. This interaction between transport and planning is particularly important. This thesis proposes to discover, on the scale of urban areas, various forms of urban sprawl visible in Reunion, and questions on possible similarities with territories not limited by relief. Indeed, a question is raised: do the island environment favors specific forms of urban sprawl? Similarly, the relationship between transport and urban sprawl is highlighted through examples of the three main urban areas of the island: Saint-Denis, Saint-Paul- Le Port and Saint-Pierre. From their evolution since 1990, we offer a few evolution scenarios that allow to alert the need for a transportation-planning in future development projects on the island of Reunion Island.

No description available.

Os rios Pinheiros e Tietê sempre se destacaram como uma paisagem singular no planalto colinoso sobre o qual se assentou a cidade de São Paulo. Num processo de transformação iniciado ainda no final do século 19 e cujo ápice se deu durante as décadas de 1940 e 1960 - quando estes cursos dágua são então canalizados e retificados, ao mesmo tempo em que vias expressas são construídas em suas margens -, um novo desenho molda as grandes várzeas paulistanas. Com o passar do tempo, novos elementos se juntam a este desenho - pontes, usinas elevatórias, via férrea, edifícios industriais, comerciais, residenciais etc. -, consolidando-o à estrutura da cidade. O caráter estruturador do sistema natural é então intensificado pelas avenidas marginais que, não apenas se adaptam à expansão urbana da capital paulista, como contribuem para a consolidação da região metropolitana. Por outro lado, o centro deste novo desenho - representado pelos próprios rios que, antes da grande mudança, chegaram a apresentar uma relação harmônica com a cidade através do desenvolvimento de práticas sociais em seu leito e em suas margens -, sofre um contínuo processo de contaminação que, somado ao bloqueio provocado pelas próprias vias (avenidas e ferrovia), o isola do traçado urbano. Buscando reverter este quadro, um programa de requalificação é iniciado na década de 1990, visando não apenas à limpeza das águas fluviais, mas também o controle das inundações que ainda hoje assolam a metrópole. Apesar da evidente degradação ambiental, acreditamos, porém, que o desenho formado pelos rios, avenidas marginais e conjunto urbano adjacente - por sua importância físico-geográfica e histórico-cultural - acabou por se constituir num sistema de comunicação visual urbana de caráter primordial à identidade de São Paulo, e dentro do qual os primeiros elementos, por se encontrarem diretamente vinculados ao cerne de criação desse mesmo sistema, se destacam como essenciais, refletindo assim a representatividade da própria cidade. Desse modo, buscamos investigar a confirmação deste fato através de uma análise teórica - enfatizando os projetos e planos desenvolvidos e realizados para as várzeas dos rios Pinheiros e Tietê - e de uma análise prática - enfatizando a importância da inter-relação entre os diversos elementos do sistema e significados presentes em locais estrategicamente escolhidos: foz do rio Tamanduateí, pontes das Bandeiras e Cruzeiro do Sul, estações de trens da CPTM e parque ecológico do Tietê. Para esta última, valemo-nos de procedimentos metodológicos que nos levam a uma leitura semiótica, considerando o sistema como um signo e privilegiando o entendimento da percepção ambiental (nível pragmático) sob um enfoque fenomenológico. Junto a isso, complementam nossa investigação uma análise do desenho natural do sistema em seus diversos níveis de abrangência (metropolitano, regional e nacional) e um histórico do processo de reintegração entre cidades e rios (ou baías e mares) a partir de meados do século 20 nos países desenvolvidos. / The rivers Pinheiros and Tietê have always stood out as a unique landscape on the hilly plateau over which São Paulo has settled. In a process of transformation already begun at the end of the 19th century and whose apex occurred during the 1940s and 1960s decades - when these creeks were channelized and rectified and a pair of urban freeways were built on their banks -, a new design shapes the biggest floodplains of the city. Time after time, new elements - bridges, pumping plants, railway, industrial, commercial and residential buildings, etc. -, are connected to this shape, then fit to the urban fabric. So the structuring character of the natural system is intensified by the marginal avenues3 that, besides adapting themselves to the growth of the city, contribute to the consolidation of the metropolitan region. In the other hand, the centre of this new shape - presented by the rivers themselves that, before the big changing, could create a harmonic relationship with the city by the development of social activities on their bed and banks -, suffered a continuous process of contamination that, added to the blocking provoked by the freeways and the railway, did isolate it from the urban fabric. By trying to reverse this framework, a program of requalification takes place in 1990, aiming to clean the waters as well as controlling the floods that still have been ravaging the metropolis. Though, in spite of this evident environmental degradation, we believe that the shape created by the rivers, the marginal avenues and the urban elements - for its physical-geographic and historical-cultural importance - constituted a urban visual communication system with a primordial character to the identity of São Paulo, and in which the first elements, by being strictly connected to the heart of the creation of this system, stand out as essential for reflecting representations of the city itself. So we intend to investigate the confirmation of this fact by a theoretical analysis - by emphasizing the projects and plans idealized and realized for the floodplains of the rivers Pinheiros and Tietê - and a practical analysis - by emphasizing the importance of the inter-relationship between the several elements of the system and the representation of the places strategically chosen: the mouth of the river Tamanduateí, the Bandeiras and Cruzeiro do Sul Bridges, the railway stations and the Ecological Park of Tietê. For this last one, we used methodological proceedings that took us to a semiotic reading, by considering the system as a sign and understanding the environmental perception by a phenomenological focus. Besides that, our investigation is complemented by an analysis of the natural design of the system in its several levels of coverage (metropolitan, regional and nation) and a history of the process of reintegration between cities and rivers (or bays or seas) initialized in the middle of the 20th century in the developed countries. 1 Actually the term corresponds to the marginal avenues which are popular known as marginal (ones). Once the adjective is not used on plural in English we decided to use the term marginals. 2 Related to São Paulo city. 3 The marginal avenues received this name for having occupied the original banks (margens) of the rivers.