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Studying the Effect of Blue-Green Infrastructure on Microclimate and Human Thermal Comfort in Melbourne’s Central Business District

Author

Listed:
  • Fatma Balany

    (College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, P.O. Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC 8001, Australia)

  • Nitin Muttil

    (College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, P.O. Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC 8001, Australia
    Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University, P.O. Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC 8001, Australia)

  • Shobha Muthukumaran

    (College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, P.O. Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC 8001, Australia
    Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University, P.O. Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC 8001, Australia)

  • Man Sing Wong

    (Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China)

  • Anne W. M. Ng

    (College of Engineering, Information Technology and Environment, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Drive, Brinkin, NT 0810, Australia)

Abstract

Blue-green infrastructure (BGI) is defined as a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services, which include microclimate regulation and enhanced human thermal comfort. While green infrastructure is widely known to be capable of mitigating the adverse effects of urban heat island, the effect of blue infrastructure to regulate thermal comfort is still poorly understood. This study investigates several blue-green-infrastructure (BGI) scenarios in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Australia to assess their effects on microclimate and human thermal comfort. Three-dimensional microclimatic modelling software, ENVI-met, was used to simulate the microclimate and human thermal comfort. Physiological equivalent temperature (PET) was used to quantify the level of thermal comfort in selected research areas. Ten different scenarios were simulated, which included those based on green roofs, green walls, trees, ponds and fountains. The simulations suggest that green roofs and green walls in the high-rise building environment have a small temperature reduction in its surrounding area by up to 0.47 °C and 0.27 °C, respectively, and there is no noticeable improvement in the level of thermal perception. The tree-based scenarios decrease temperature by up to 0.93 °C and improve the thermal perception from hot to warm. Scenarios based on water bodies and fountains decrease the temperature by up to 0.51 °C and 1.48 °C, respectively, yet they cannot improve the thermal perception of the area. A deeper water body has a better microclimate improvement as compared to a shallow one. The temperature reduction in the fountain scenario tends to be local and the effect could only be felt within a certain radius from the fountain.

Suggested Citation

  • Fatma Balany & Nitin Muttil & Shobha Muthukumaran & Man Sing Wong & Anne W. M. Ng, 2022. "Studying the Effect of Blue-Green Infrastructure on Microclimate and Human Thermal Comfort in Melbourne’s Central Business District," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-26, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:15:p:9057-:d:870324
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hussain H. Al-Kayiem & Kelly Koh & Tri W. B. Riyadi & Marwan Effendy, 2020. "A Comparative Review on Greenery Ecosystems and Their Impacts on Sustainability of Building Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-25, October.
    2. Sikhululekile Ncube & Scott Arthur, 2021. "Influence of Blue-Green and Grey Infrastructure Combinations on Natural and Human-Derived Capital in Urban Drainage Planning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-16, February.
    3. Jaekyoung Kim & Sang Yeob Lee & Junsuk Kang, 2020. "Temperature Reduction Effects of Rooftop Garden Arrangements: A Case Study of Seoul National University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-17, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Saranathan Pragati & Radhakrishnan Shanthi Priya & Chandramouli Pradeepa & Ramalingam Senthil, 2023. "Simulation of the Energy Performance of a Building with Green Roofs and Green Walls in a Tropical Climate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-17, January.

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