Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MultiCAST (Multiscale Thermal-related Urban Climate Analysis and Simulation Tool)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-05-01 bis 2024-04-30
Urban heat islands (UHI) pose an increasing challenge due to urbanization and global warming. The MultiCAST project addresses this first by studying UHI effects on regional, urban, and microscale levels. This comprehensive, multiscale analysis identifies critical hotspots and microvariations within individual heat islands. Hence, the project explores how thermal stress impacts pedestrian behavior and city walkability, creating a conflict between encouraging active mobility and preventing heat-related illnesses. As vulnerable populations are at higher risk, this makes walk-accessibility an issue of health and equity.
The complex link between thermal comfort and walk-accessibility requires detailed exploration within urban settings. As climate change increases temperatures and heat stress, integrating these considerations into urban planning is crucial. MultiCAST seeks to enhance our understanding by combining thermal hazard analysis, walk-accessibility, and pedestrian flow modeling, aiming to create climate-resilient, pedestrian-friendly cities in support of sustainable mobility, comfort, and accessibility.
Post-COVID-19, the need for livable outdoor urban spaces is clearer than ever. MultiCAST emphasizes addressing climate challenges with urgency, akin to health crises. With most Europeans and a projected 70% of the global population living in cities by 2050, the MultiCAST project is crucial for society as climate change threatens urban well-being and health. It aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11, 13, and 3 by promoting sustainable, resilient cities, combating climate change, and reducing health risks from heat stress.
The MultiCAST project has the following key objectives:
• Heat Island Study and Quantification: Conduct comprehensive studies of the heat island effect at regional, city, and local scales to understand its unique characteristics and impacts.
• Impact of Thermal Stress on Pedestrians: Quantify how thermal stress affects pedestrian behavior, providing insights for policymakers to improve city walk-accessibility during extreme heat events.
• Fine-Grain Thermal Risk Assessment: Develop a framework for assessing detailed thermal risk and heat exposure at the pedestrian level.
• Development of a Decision Support System (DSS): Build a user-friendly DSS prototype with a Web-GIS interface to allow easy querying and visualization of urban heat islands and thermal stress.
• Evaluation of Project Outcomes: Test and evaluate the developed methods, outcomes, and tools in real-world urban settings to ensure their practical applicability and adaptability.
The complex link between thermal comfort and walk-accessibility requires detailed exploration within urban settings. As climate change increases temperatures and heat stress, integrating these considerations into urban planning is crucial. MultiCAST seeks to enhance our understanding by combining thermal hazard analysis, walk-accessibility, and pedestrian flow modeling, aiming to create climate-resilient, pedestrian-friendly cities in support of sustainable mobility, comfort, and accessibility.
Post-COVID-19, the need for livable outdoor urban spaces is clearer than ever. MultiCAST emphasizes addressing climate challenges with urgency, akin to health crises. With most Europeans and a projected 70% of the global population living in cities by 2050, the MultiCAST project is crucial for society as climate change threatens urban well-being and health. It aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11, 13, and 3 by promoting sustainable, resilient cities, combating climate change, and reducing health risks from heat stress.
The MultiCAST project has the following key objectives:
• Heat Island Study and Quantification: Conduct comprehensive studies of the heat island effect at regional, city, and local scales to understand its unique characteristics and impacts.
• Impact of Thermal Stress on Pedestrians: Quantify how thermal stress affects pedestrian behavior, providing insights for policymakers to improve city walk-accessibility during extreme heat events.
• Fine-Grain Thermal Risk Assessment: Develop a framework for assessing detailed thermal risk and heat exposure at the pedestrian level.
• Development of a Decision Support System (DSS): Build a user-friendly DSS prototype with a Web-GIS interface to allow easy querying and visualization of urban heat islands and thermal stress.
• Evaluation of Project Outcomes: Test and evaluate the developed methods, outcomes, and tools in real-world urban settings to ensure their practical applicability and adaptability.
So far, the MultiCAST project has investigated three main aspects:
• Regional Heat Island: Using remote sensing and spatial statistics, the project examined the influence of vegetation and land use on heat islands. Findings show that urbanized and agricultural areas increase heat island intensity, while natural landscapes mitigate it. Sustainable practices like agroforestry and green infrastructure can help reduce these effects.
• Urban Heat Exposure and Risk Assessment: A new framework was developed to assess heat-related risks in urban areas, integrating pedestrian movement models with urban microclimate analysis. The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and pedestrian flows were used to identify high-risk areas and create a heat exposure index (HEI).
• Heat Stress and Pedestrian Behavior: Analyzing GPS trajectory data, we have explored how heat stress affects route choices. Using the UTCI to measure heat stress, findings showed that higher heat levels make walking seem more difficult, reducing pedestrian accessibility to key destinations like public transit. These insights underscore the need to consider heat in transportation planning and urban design to ensure equitable access and enhance pedestrian-oriented development (POD).
• Regional Heat Island: Using remote sensing and spatial statistics, the project examined the influence of vegetation and land use on heat islands. Findings show that urbanized and agricultural areas increase heat island intensity, while natural landscapes mitigate it. Sustainable practices like agroforestry and green infrastructure can help reduce these effects.
• Urban Heat Exposure and Risk Assessment: A new framework was developed to assess heat-related risks in urban areas, integrating pedestrian movement models with urban microclimate analysis. The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and pedestrian flows were used to identify high-risk areas and create a heat exposure index (HEI).
• Heat Stress and Pedestrian Behavior: Analyzing GPS trajectory data, we have explored how heat stress affects route choices. Using the UTCI to measure heat stress, findings showed that higher heat levels make walking seem more difficult, reducing pedestrian accessibility to key destinations like public transit. These insights underscore the need to consider heat in transportation planning and urban design to ensure equitable access and enhance pedestrian-oriented development (POD).
The MultiCAST project is a pioneering initiative in urban climate resilience, addressing the challenges of urban heat islands (UHIs) and pedestrians’ heat stress. It advances urban climate research by:
• Expanding Scope of Analysis: Unlike traditional studies focused solely on urban areas, MultiCAST examines UHI effects at regional, city, and local scales. This comprehensive approach provides a nuanced understanding of UHI characteristics and impacts across different levels.
• Fine-Grain Thermal Risk Assessment: The project develops a novel framework to quantify heat exposure and heat risk at the pedestrian level. This detailed analysis identifies high heat hazard areas with significant foot traffic, aiding in the creation of targeted interventions to support pedestrians.
• Integration of Thermal Hazard Analysis with Pedestrian Behavior Modeling: MultiCAST uniquely combines thermal hazard analysis with models of pedestrian movement. This innovative approach explores the relationship between thermal comfort and walk-accessibility, addressing an area previously unexplored in urban climate research.
As the MultiCAST project progresses towards its goals, it aims to achieve significant outcomes through research, innovation, and community engagement in urban environments:
• Empowering Climate-Resilient Urban Development with a Decision Support System (DSS): Central to MultiCAST is the development of a Web-GIS DSS. This tool integrates spatiotemporal urban climate data into a user-friendly dashboard, empowering informed decision-making.
• Advocating for Climate-Resilient Urban Planning: MultiCAST actively promotes its findings to cities and policymakers, advocating for climate-resilient urban planning and design strategies.
• Expanding Methods to other cities: Building on initial findings in Los Angeles and Boston, MultiCAST will apply its methods in Milan and Barcelona, demonstrating the benefits of climate-resilient planning on a global scale and enriching knowledge for other urban communities.
• Publishing Comprehensive Research Papers: MultiCAST aims to publish a collection of papers in esteemed journals, documenting key findings, methodologies, and insights to serve as a valuable knowledge repository.
• Engaging in Master’s Degree and Ph.D. Research: The project supports future researchers at the master’s and Ph.D. levels, ensuring sustainability and contributing to expertise in urban climate resilience.
The MultiCAST project aims to significantly impact urban resilience and society by addressing climate challenges and enhancing urban well-being:
• Understanding Urban Heat Islands: MultiCAST distinctively studies urban heat islands (UHIs) on multiple scales.
• Improving Thermal Comfort: Through thermal hazard analysis and pedestrian behavior studies, MultiCAST identifies high-risk areas and guides interventions to enhance outdoor comfort during high thermal stress.
• Promoting Equity in Urban Development: MultiCAST examines how heat stress affects pedestrian accessibility, focusing on vulnerable populations to reduce health risks and promote social inclusion in urban planning.
• Alignment with SDGs: MultiCAST supports SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by promoting climate-resilient urban environments, mitigating UHIs, and improving public health.
• Influence on Policy and Practice: By providing innovative methods and insights, MultiCAST influences policymakers, architects, and urban designers toward creating resilient urban landscapes and inclusive societies.
• Expanding Scope of Analysis: Unlike traditional studies focused solely on urban areas, MultiCAST examines UHI effects at regional, city, and local scales. This comprehensive approach provides a nuanced understanding of UHI characteristics and impacts across different levels.
• Fine-Grain Thermal Risk Assessment: The project develops a novel framework to quantify heat exposure and heat risk at the pedestrian level. This detailed analysis identifies high heat hazard areas with significant foot traffic, aiding in the creation of targeted interventions to support pedestrians.
• Integration of Thermal Hazard Analysis with Pedestrian Behavior Modeling: MultiCAST uniquely combines thermal hazard analysis with models of pedestrian movement. This innovative approach explores the relationship between thermal comfort and walk-accessibility, addressing an area previously unexplored in urban climate research.
As the MultiCAST project progresses towards its goals, it aims to achieve significant outcomes through research, innovation, and community engagement in urban environments:
• Empowering Climate-Resilient Urban Development with a Decision Support System (DSS): Central to MultiCAST is the development of a Web-GIS DSS. This tool integrates spatiotemporal urban climate data into a user-friendly dashboard, empowering informed decision-making.
• Advocating for Climate-Resilient Urban Planning: MultiCAST actively promotes its findings to cities and policymakers, advocating for climate-resilient urban planning and design strategies.
• Expanding Methods to other cities: Building on initial findings in Los Angeles and Boston, MultiCAST will apply its methods in Milan and Barcelona, demonstrating the benefits of climate-resilient planning on a global scale and enriching knowledge for other urban communities.
• Publishing Comprehensive Research Papers: MultiCAST aims to publish a collection of papers in esteemed journals, documenting key findings, methodologies, and insights to serve as a valuable knowledge repository.
• Engaging in Master’s Degree and Ph.D. Research: The project supports future researchers at the master’s and Ph.D. levels, ensuring sustainability and contributing to expertise in urban climate resilience.
The MultiCAST project aims to significantly impact urban resilience and society by addressing climate challenges and enhancing urban well-being:
• Understanding Urban Heat Islands: MultiCAST distinctively studies urban heat islands (UHIs) on multiple scales.
• Improving Thermal Comfort: Through thermal hazard analysis and pedestrian behavior studies, MultiCAST identifies high-risk areas and guides interventions to enhance outdoor comfort during high thermal stress.
• Promoting Equity in Urban Development: MultiCAST examines how heat stress affects pedestrian accessibility, focusing on vulnerable populations to reduce health risks and promote social inclusion in urban planning.
• Alignment with SDGs: MultiCAST supports SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by promoting climate-resilient urban environments, mitigating UHIs, and improving public health.
• Influence on Policy and Practice: By providing innovative methods and insights, MultiCAST influences policymakers, architects, and urban designers toward creating resilient urban landscapes and inclusive societies.