An urban modelling framework for climate resilience in low-resource neighbourhoods
Climate predictions indicate a strong likelihood of more frequent, intense heat events. Resource-vulnerable, low-income neighbourhood populations are likely to be strongly impacted by future climate change, especially with respect to an energy burden. In order to identify existing and new vulnerabil...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Ubiquity Press
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Buildings & Cities |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journal-buildingscities.org/articles/17 |
| _version_ | 1811153907460603904 |
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| author | Ulrike Passe Michael Dorneich Caroline Krejci Diba Malekpour Koupaei Breanna Marmur Linda Shenk Jacklin Stonewall Janette Thompson Yuyu Zhou |
| author_facet | Ulrike Passe Michael Dorneich Caroline Krejci Diba Malekpour Koupaei Breanna Marmur Linda Shenk Jacklin Stonewall Janette Thompson Yuyu Zhou |
| author_sort | Ulrike Passe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate predictions indicate a strong likelihood of more frequent, intense heat events. Resource-vulnerable, low-income neighbourhood populations are likely to be strongly impacted by future climate change, especially with respect to an energy burden. In order to identify existing and new vulnerabilities to climate change, local authorities need to understand the dynamics of extreme heat events at the neighbourhood level, particularly to identify those people who are adversely affected. A new comprehensive framework is presented that integrates human and biophysical data: occupancy/behaviour, building energy use, future climate scenarios and near-building microclimate projections. The framework is used to create an urban energy model for a low-resource neighbourhood in Des Moines, Iowa, US. Data were integrated into urban modelling interface ('umi') software simulations, based on detailed surveys of residents’ practices, their buildings and near-building microclimates (tree canopy effects, etc.). The simulations predict annual and seasonal building energy use in response to different climate scenarios. Preliminary results, based on 50 simulation runs with different variable combinations, indicate the importance of using locally derived building occupant schedules and point toward increased summer cooling demand and increased vulnerability for parts of the population. 'Practice relevance' To support planning responses to increased heat, local authorities need to ascertain which neighbourhoods will be negatively impacted in order to develop appropriate strategies. Localised data can provide good insights into the impacts of human decisions and climate variability in low-resource, vulnerable urban neighbourhoods. A new detailed modelling framework synthesises data on occupant–building interactions with present and future urban climate characteristics. This identifies the areas most vulnerable to extreme heat using future climate projections and community demographics. Cities can use this framework to support decisions and climate-adaptation responses, especially for low-resource neighbourhoods. Fine-grained and locally collected data influence the outcome of combined urban energy simulations that integrate human–building interactions and occupancy schedules as well as microclimate characteristics influenced by nearby vegetation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T07:11:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2ae2b20e767645b5af4e175e31154598 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2632-6655 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T07:11:57Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Buildings & Cities |
| spelling | doaj.art-2ae2b20e767645b5af4e175e311545982023-09-02T23:03:25ZengUbiquity PressBuildings & Cities2632-66552020-07-011110.5334/bc.1728An urban modelling framework for climate resilience in low-resource neighbourhoodsUlrike Passe0Michael Dorneich1Caroline Krejci2Diba Malekpour Koupaei3Breanna Marmur4Linda Shenk5Jacklin Stonewall6Janette Thompson7Yuyu Zhou8Iowa State University, Department of Architecture and Center for Building Energy Research, Ames, IAIowa State University, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Ames, IAUniversity of Texas Arlington, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Arlington, TXIowa State University, Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Ames, IAIowa State University, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Ames, IAIowa State University, Department of English, Ames, IAIowa State University, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Ames, IAIowa State University, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Ames, IAIowa State University, Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Ames, IAClimate predictions indicate a strong likelihood of more frequent, intense heat events. Resource-vulnerable, low-income neighbourhood populations are likely to be strongly impacted by future climate change, especially with respect to an energy burden. In order to identify existing and new vulnerabilities to climate change, local authorities need to understand the dynamics of extreme heat events at the neighbourhood level, particularly to identify those people who are adversely affected. A new comprehensive framework is presented that integrates human and biophysical data: occupancy/behaviour, building energy use, future climate scenarios and near-building microclimate projections. The framework is used to create an urban energy model for a low-resource neighbourhood in Des Moines, Iowa, US. Data were integrated into urban modelling interface ('umi') software simulations, based on detailed surveys of residents’ practices, their buildings and near-building microclimates (tree canopy effects, etc.). The simulations predict annual and seasonal building energy use in response to different climate scenarios. Preliminary results, based on 50 simulation runs with different variable combinations, indicate the importance of using locally derived building occupant schedules and point toward increased summer cooling demand and increased vulnerability for parts of the population. 'Practice relevance' To support planning responses to increased heat, local authorities need to ascertain which neighbourhoods will be negatively impacted in order to develop appropriate strategies. Localised data can provide good insights into the impacts of human decisions and climate variability in low-resource, vulnerable urban neighbourhoods. A new detailed modelling framework synthesises data on occupant–building interactions with present and future urban climate characteristics. This identifies the areas most vulnerable to extreme heat using future climate projections and community demographics. Cities can use this framework to support decisions and climate-adaptation responses, especially for low-resource neighbourhoods. Fine-grained and locally collected data influence the outcome of combined urban energy simulations that integrate human–building interactions and occupancy schedules as well as microclimate characteristics influenced by nearby vegetation.https://journal-buildingscities.org/articles/17citiesheat stressmicroclimateneighbourhoodoccupancy dataoverheatingurban modellingvulnerability |
| spellingShingle | Ulrike Passe Michael Dorneich Caroline Krejci Diba Malekpour Koupaei Breanna Marmur Linda Shenk Jacklin Stonewall Janette Thompson Yuyu Zhou An urban modelling framework for climate resilience in low-resource neighbourhoods Buildings & Cities cities heat stress microclimate neighbourhood occupancy data overheating urban modelling vulnerability |
| title | An urban modelling framework for climate resilience in low-resource neighbourhoods |
| title_full | An urban modelling framework for climate resilience in low-resource neighbourhoods |
| title_fullStr | An urban modelling framework for climate resilience in low-resource neighbourhoods |
| title_full_unstemmed | An urban modelling framework for climate resilience in low-resource neighbourhoods |
| title_short | An urban modelling framework for climate resilience in low-resource neighbourhoods |
| title_sort | urban modelling framework for climate resilience in low resource neighbourhoods |
| topic | cities heat stress microclimate neighbourhood occupancy data overheating urban modelling vulnerability |
| url | https://journal-buildingscities.org/articles/17 |
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