236
8.5 Possible Transformations of the Pilot Area
The possible transformations/interventions proposed below refer to the previously
analyzed “green ground + cool pavements” scenario. We took the basic pattern
used for ENVI-met modeling and came up with a number of potential transformations for the pilot area.
These possible interventions are not part of a single urban planning project, but
they are structured rather as small interventions to be implemented through the use
of the urban planning tools analyzed above (see Table 8.2).
It should be noted that the proposed interventions can be effective on their own
in mitigating the heat island effect; however, more specifics are needed on the areas
they are going to be applied to, so as to make effective and cost effective decisions.
Maximum effectiveness can be reached when all of these interventions together
become part of a general strategy of adaptation to climate changes combined with
the more important urban and/or socio-economic concerns of a given area.
Intervention 0 actual conditions + summary of intervention 0 actual conditions.
8.5.1 Outdoor Public Spaces
The first intervention posits an increase in the reflectance of the road surface. This
can be done by means of several types of materials. Two technical options may be
considered: the more immediate one would be acting on the pavement’s coloration/
pigmentation, the other would involve a more structured approach of asphalt type
modification. This type of intervention can be planned on a municipal scale over a
set period of time, for example, the years it would take to pave everything over and
remanufacture some types of streets signs. For the sake of economic sustainability,
it would make sense to prioritize such interventions by area with the aid of specific
maps. For larger cities, the mapping process can be integrated with urban heat studies, using direct readings or indirect photogrammetric data processing. Municipalities
that do not have access to complex analyses of urban heating phenomena can prioritize their most densely occupied areas, and also apply the indexes suggested by the
University of Vienna for this specific project (Figs. 8.10 and 8.11).
The second intervention also concerns the reflectance of impermeabilized urban
surfaces; however, in this case, the spaces considered – sidewalks, parking lots, and
city squares – do not involve car traffic. These surfaces, like the ones we just discussed, need to be approached according to a set of urban planning priorities.
Modifications will necessitate the application of street furniture programs that will
include reflectance limits to the repaving of city squares and sidewalks. For the
application of this intervention inside the pilot area, we considered also parking lots
and street side parking areas, which are normally paved, and which will have to be
handled using a different approach, like more permeable materials for improved
absorption of rainwater (Fig. 8.12).
F. Musco et al.
8.5 Possible Transformations of the Pilot Area
The possible transformations/interventions proposed below refer to the previously
analyzed “green ground + cool pavements” scenario. We took the basic pattern
used for ENVI-met modeling and came up with a number of potential transformations for the pilot area.
These possible interventions are not part of a single urban planning project, but
they are structured rather as small interventions to be implemented through the use
of the urban planning tools analyzed above (see Table 8.2).
It should be noted that the proposed interventions can be effective on their own
in mitigating the heat island effect; however, more specifics are needed on the areas
they are going to be applied to, so as to make effective and cost effective decisions.
Maximum effectiveness can be reached when all of these interventions together
become part of a general strategy of adaptation to climate changes combined with
the more important urban and/or socio-economic concerns of a given area.
Intervention 0 actual conditions + summary of intervention 0 actual conditions.
8.5.1 Outdoor Public Spaces
The first intervention posits an increase in the reflectance of the road surface. This
can be done by means of several types of materials. Two technical options may be
considered: the more immediate one would be acting on the pavement’s coloration/
pigmentation, the other would involve a more structured approach of asphalt type
modification. This type of intervention can be planned on a municipal scale over a
set period of time, for example, the years it would take to pave everything over and
remanufacture some types of streets signs. For the sake of economic sustainability,
it would make sense to prioritize such interventions by area with the aid of specific
maps. For larger cities, the mapping process can be integrated with urban heat studies, using direct readings or indirect photogrammetric data processing. Municipalities
that do not have access to complex analyses of urban heating phenomena can prioritize their most densely occupied areas, and also apply the indexes suggested by the
University of Vienna for this specific project (Figs. 8.10 and 8.11).
The second intervention also concerns the reflectance of impermeabilized urban
surfaces; however, in this case, the spaces considered – sidewalks, parking lots, and
city squares – do not involve car traffic. These surfaces, like the ones we just discussed, need to be approached according to a set of urban planning priorities.
Modifications will necessitate the application of street furniture programs that will
include reflectance limits to the repaving of city squares and sidewalks. For the
application of this intervention inside the pilot area, we considered also parking lots
and street side parking areas, which are normally paved, and which will have to be
handled using a different approach, like more permeable materials for improved
absorption of rainwater (Fig. 8.12).
F. Musco et al.