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The Effect of a Denser City over the Urban Microclimate: The Case of Toronto

Author

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  • Umberto Berardi

    (Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada)

  • Yupeng Wang

    (School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China)

Abstract

In the last decades, several studies have revealed how critical the urban heat island (UHI) effect can be in cities located in cold climates, such as the Canadian one. Meanwhile, many researchers have looked at the impact of the city design over the urban microclimate, and have raised concerns about the development of too dense cities. Under the effect of the “Places to Growth” plan, the city of Toronto is experiencing one of the highest rates of building development in North America. Over 48,000 and 33,000 new home permits were issued in 2012 and 2013 respectively, and at the beginning of 2015, almost 500 high-rise proposals across the Greater Toronto Area were released. In this context, it is important to investigate how new constructions will affect the urban microclimate, and to propose strategies to mitigate possible UHI effects. Using the software ENVI-met, microclimate simulations for the Church-Yonge corridor both in the current situation and with the new constructions are reported in this paper. The outdoor air temperature and the wind speed are the parameters used to assess the outdoor microclimate changes. The results show that the new constructions could increase the wind speed around the buildings. However, high-rise buildings will somewhat reduce the air temperature during day-time, as they will create large shadow areas, with lower average mean radiant temperature.

Suggested Citation

  • Umberto Berardi & Yupeng Wang, 2016. "The Effect of a Denser City over the Urban Microclimate: The Case of Toronto," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(8), pages 1-11, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:8:p:822-:d:76340
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hong, Bo & Lin, Borong, 2015. "Numerical studies of the outdoor wind environment and thermal comfort at pedestrian level in housing blocks with different building layout patterns and trees arrangement," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 18-27.
    2. Chien-Yuan Kuo & Chun-Ta Tzeng & Ming-Chin Ho & Chi-Ming Lai, 2015. "Wind Tunnel Studies of a Pedestrian-Level Wind Environment in a Street Canyon between a High-Rise Building with a Podium and Low-Level Attached Houses," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-16, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mohamed Elhadi Matallah & Djamel Alkama & Jacques Teller & Atef Ahriz & Shady Attia, 2021. "Quantification of the Outdoor Thermal Comfort within Different Oases Urban Fabrics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-23, March.
    2. Seungwon Kang & Dalbyul Lee & Jiyong Park & Juchul Jung, 2022. "Exploring Urban Forms Vulnerable to Urban Heat Islands: A Multiscale Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-16, March.
    3. Milena Vuckovic & Kristina Kiesel & Ardeshir Mahdavi, 2017. "The Extent and Implications of the Microclimatic Conditions in the Urban Environment: A Vienna Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Pingying Lin & Zhonghua Gou & Stephen Siu-Yu Lau & Hao Qin, 2017. "The Impact of Urban Design Descriptors on Outdoor Thermal Environment: A Literature Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-19, December.
    5. Yi Song Liu & Tan Yigitcanlar & Mirko Guaralda & Kenan Degirmenci & Aaron Liu & Michael Kane, 2022. "Leveraging the Opportunities of Wind for Cities through Urban Planning and Design: A PRISMA Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-78, September.
    6. Brozovsky, J. & Gaitani, N. & Gustavsen, A., 2021. "A systematic review of urban climate research in cold and polar climate regions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    7. Ahmed Mohamed Shehata, 2023. "Sustainable-Oriented Development for Urban Interface of Historic Centers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-19, February.
    8. Alireza Dehghani & Mehdi Alidadi & Ayyoob Sharifi, 2022. "Compact Development Policy and Urban Resilience: A Critical Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-19, September.

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