Ventilating Cities, 2012 Air-flow Criteria for Healthy and Comfortable Urban Living Springer Geography Series

The majority of the world?s population live in environments with artificially weakened wind as buildings in urban areas form wind-breaks and reduce wind speeds. Anthropogenic heat is also generated and during the summer dense urban areas suffer from the urban heat island effect, a known urban climate problem. This book discusses how to evaluate the urban wind environment, including ventilation performance and thermal comfort. This book is organized in two parts; Wind Environment and the Urban Environment and Criteria for Assessing Breeze Environments. It includes chapters on sea breeze in urban areas; thermal adaptation and the effect of wind on thermal comfort;  health risk of exposures; pollutant transport in dense urban areas;  legal regulations for urban ventilation and new criteria for assessing the local wind environment.

Keywords: urban wind environments, urban heat island, urban climate, land use change, thermal comfort, risk assessment, urban air pollution, urban ventilation

1.Introduction.- Part I: Wind Environment and Urban Environment.- 2. Sea breeze blowing into urban area: mitigation of the urban heat island phenomenon.- 3. Thermal adaptation outdoors and the effect of wind on thermal comfort.- 4. Health Risk of Exposure to Vehicular Emissions in Wind Stagnant Street Canyons.- 5. Pollutant Transport in Dense Urban Areas.- Part II: Criteria for Assessing Breeze Environment.- 6. Legal regulations for urban ventilation.- 7. New Criteria for Assessing Local Wind Environment at Pedestrian Level and the Applications.- Index.