Rapid neighbourhood-scale modelling of urban heat risks for early-stage quantification of potential passive design mitigation strategy effectiveness: Copenhagen test case

Arup, Boston, USA

^* Corresponding author: nick.swedberg@arup.com

Abstract

This study employed the urban weather generator (UWG) to model the formation of the urban heat island (UHI) across the twelve (12) districts (bydele) of the City of Copenhagen (Københavns Kommune). In the face of projected future population growth, increased urban development, and rising global temperatures, it is necessary to quantify the ability of sustainable urban development objectives to mitigate the formation of UHIs. Assessment of baseline UHI formation in Copenhagen allowed for testing passive UHI mitigation strategies as defined in Copenhagen’s Kommuneplan 19 (KP19). The results of this study identified city districts experiencing higher baseline levels of urban heat and the effectiveness of the passive UHI mitigation strategies proposed in KP19. Additionally, results from this study suggest that UHI mitigation strategies are more effective combined.