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Urban Heat Island Mitigation Decision Support Tool

Solution Overview

The Urban Heat Island Mitigation Decision Support Tool represents an interactive three-dimensional platform that enables users to visualise and assess urban development mitigation scenarios for specific urban contexts.[2] Developed by the University of New South Wales through the Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living, this online platform enables users to test and visualise different urban development mitigation scenarios in real time.[1][2][4] The tool brings together scientific models, case studies and broad guidelines to help government and built environment industry reference top heat mitigation strategies and effects, relative to their city.[7]

Technical Components

The decision-support tool was based on the ENVI-met model, which is a three-dimensional microclimate model that can be used to simulate the impact of different green infrastructure scenarios on the urban thermal environment.[5] This approach integrates scientific models with a range of mitigation techniques to provide urban heat island mitigation analysis across both urban and building scales, such as urban form, parks, greenery, waterways and cool roofs.[1] The platform enables users to visualise the effects of heat mitigation techniques such as adding trees or incorporating cool roofs and pavements by overlaying them onto maps of existing infrastructure.[9] The research integrated scientific models with a range of mitigation techniques to perform urban heat island mitigation analysis across both building and urban scales, such as building coatings and roofs, urban form and density, greenery and infrastructure.[4] Simulations can be tailored to microclimates across different regions in different cities, providing a decision-support tool to bridge the gap between urban climate research and the practical application of heat reduction strategies in public spaces.[10]

Implementation Details

Project Leader Associate Professor Lan Ding of the University of New South Wales led the development of the Microclimate and Urban Heat Island Mitigation Decision-Support Tool, which was funded by the CRC for Low Carbon Living.[1][3] The Low Carbon Living Cooperative Research Centre, whose 45 members include the CSIRO, Bluescope, and five Australian universities, developed this technology.[10] According to CRCLCL CEO Professor Deo Prasad, the project involved multiple stakeholders from state and local governments, built environment industry and academia.[1] Landcom was involved in the collaborative research as a member of the project steering committee, and made their projects available as test beds for the practical application of the research.[4] During FY18, testing of the tool began at Green Square Town Centre and Macarthur Heights, which are two very different geographic areas in inner Sydney and greater Sydney, with distinct microclimates and building types, and with differing levels of natural environment surrounding the sites.[8] During FY19, Landcom completed testing the tool at Green Square Town Centre and Macarthur Heights – two very different geographic areas with distinct microclimates and building types, and differing levels of natural environment surrounding the sites.[4] The UHI-DS Tool research project came to a conclusion in FY19.[4] The platform has been used to demonstrate UHI mitigation scenario analysis of development projects in the Sydney region: Green Square Town Centre redevelopment by Landcom and City of Sydney, Parramatta Civic Link redevelopment by Parramatta City Council, and Macarthur Heights greenfield development by Landcom and Campbelltown City Council.[1][3] The Microclimate and Urban Heat Island Mitigation Decision Support Tool has restricted access, with login credentials available by request from UHI-Index@unsw.edu.au, while the Urban Heat Island Mitigation Index tool is publicly available as one of the main outcomes of the project.[6][7]

Benefits and Impacts

At Macarthur Heights, the difference in roof surface temperature between a light grey and white roof is almost 10°C, and the surface temperature of darker roofs at the hottest part of the day can be up to double the temperature of a white roof.[4] The project developed an Urban Heat Island Mitigation Performance Index to support governments in establishing performance targets for their planning control, indicating impact on street level temperature, health and mortality, and precinct level energy consumption.[6] The tool can be used by people without any technical background by simply clicking to explore development alternatives and view the potential of mitigation options to reduce the impact of urban overheating.[1] This approach provides governments and built environment industries with a decision-support tool to inform urban policy, development assessment and planning practices related to potential building and urban interventions, used to cool streetscapes and cities, decrease energy consumption, protect the population's vulnerable health-wise, and improve conditions of comfort.[4] The platform will inform future urban policy, development assessment and planning practices related to mitigating urban overheating, improving outdoor thermal comfort and protecting the health of the vulnerable.[1]

Climate Adaptation Relevance

The decision-support tool was designed to help planners and policy-makers identify the most effective green infrastructure strategies for mitigating the urban heat island effect.[5] The tool was used to test a range of green infrastructure scenarios in case study areas in Sydney.[5]

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