Simulation Toolkit

“UDCW Simulation Toolkit: Climate Impact Analysis and Urban Resilience”

The toolkit comprises a set of IT tools (GIS tools and 3D Modelling tools) aimed at evaluating the impact of climate change in cities considering the effect of urban climate factors (linked to morphology, land use and cover, building features, etc.).
The toolkit operates at different scales and phase of the UDCW methodology workflow, with particular reference to the Climate Analysis Mapping and the Post Intervention Evaluation phases. It can be used as a standalone toolkit (and its tools as standalone components for partial analyses), but provide significant additional outcomes if used
in synergy with the Facilitation toolkit.
The models are based on the elaboration of climate projections downscaled at city level to include urban microclimate conditions and simulate the impacts of heat waves on population, the effect of seasonal temperature trends variation on energy demand, and impacts of floods on buildings and open spaces.
The current version of the toolkit has been developed, tested and improved within several projects (UCCRN ARC3.2; UCCRN ARC3.3; H2020 CLARITY; H2020 ESPREssO; Erasmus+ UCCRN_edu, Horizon Europe KNOWING, Horizon Europe UP2030)

GIS Tools

By drafting current city conditions and/or design scenarios in a GIS environment, a range of simulation models can be executed, enabling quantitative and spatial analysis of climate change impacts and the effect of climate-resilient planning and design solutions. In particular, the current version of the models allows the assessment of the health and economic impacts of heat waves and floods, the effect of slow-onset temperature and precipitation variations on energy consumption and production from renewable sources, and the CO2 absorption potential from vegetation cover.

Target Group

Desision maker, Technicians, Civil society, Other stakeholders

3D Modelling Tools

The 3D modelling tools offer a comprehensive, quantitative, and spatial analysis of the climate benefits associated with planning and design scenarios at the neighbourhood scale. The effectiveness of these tools is evaluated by comparing the outcomes against observed historical data and available statistics. Their application requires more detailed information about building envelope and HVAC solutions (both for existing buildings and targeted designs for new or retrofitted buildings), as well as technical specification for outdoor paving materials and vegetation types.

Target Group

Desision maker, Technicians, Civil society, Other stakeholders

URBAN DESIGN
CLIMATE WORKSHOP

The UDCW methodology focuses on sequential and iterative phases that lead to the development of the project through a multi-disciplinary and multi-scale approach. All phases of the methodology are implemented with the support of UCCRN multidisciplinary experts and urban stakeholders, defining an intervention model that combines knowledge-sharing and co-design actions with urban decision-makers and local communities together with the development of simulations based on computational design tools to control the main indicators that determine the performance of buildings and open spaces in relation to climatic stress conditions.

The UCCRN Urban Design Climate Workshop (UDCWs) aims to integrate design strategies for configuring or retrofitting compact and mixed-use eco-districts that can adapt and thrive in the changing global conditions, meet carbon-reduction goals and provide new public spaces and facilities in relation to community priorities. UCCRN UDCWs have been carried out since 2015 based on the climate-resilient design principles and methodological process introduced by the Urban Planning and Urban Design working group within the Second Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3.2).

1. Climate and micro-climate analysis

“Climate and microclimate analysis mapping” identifies urban areas most affected by extreme events and seasonal variations, including local climate projections, as preliminary project information. Historical climate data and Regional Climate Models (RCMs) are processed through simulation models integrated into different design tools: GIS systems for city/district-level analyses, providing as output urban heat hotspots and flood zones; parametric 3D modelling tools (Rhinoceros+Grasshopper) assess technical solutions at the block/building scale, integrating climate-resilience aspects with other green building and environmental design criteria and benchmarks.

Who is Involved

2. Collaborative mapping and co-design

“Climate and microclimate analysis mapping” identifies urban areas most affected by extreme events and seasonal variations, including local climate projections, as preliminary project information. Historical climate data and Regional Climate Models (RCMs) are processed through simulation models integrated into different design tools: GIS systems for city/district-level analyses, providing as output urban heat hotspots and flood zones; parametric 3D modelling tools (Rhinoceros+Grasshopper) assess technical solutions at the block/building scale, integrating climate-resilience aspects with other green building and environmental design criteria and benchmarks.

Who is Involved

3. Planning and design

“Planning and design” is based on a critical review of the information collected to identify synergies and tradeoffs that can be implemented in relation to the planning initiatives envisaged by the local authorities. Urban plans and building regulations define the limits within which to develop the most appropriate technical-design strategies and solutions to achieve the set of objectives. Visual tools link multiple factors orienting local policy and transformative actions; meta- design layouts support the production of innovative solutions addressing climate change impacts while increasing environmental quality in cities.

Who is Involved

4. Post intervention evaluation

“Post-intervention evaluation” is intended as a sequence of activities to evaluate the benefits of the proposed solutions in terms of microclimate, energy and environmental performance, as well as compliance with community priorities. The tools include instruments for simulation-driven/indicator-based scenario comparisons, and for gathering direct feedback from residents and local stakeholders.

Who is Involved

Steps

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Communities, decision makers, policy-makers, city officiels, NGOs please contact us for further informations