Perception of Wind in Open Spaces

Design a protocol to investigate the effects of climate change in vivo

Climate change has a variety of effects on communities and the environment, most of which have been directly addressed, such as floods, droughts, and fires. To date, the impacts of climate change on health in in vivo conditions have not been assessed, and no protocol has been developed in this regard. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to develop a protocol as well as design and build a pilot to deal with climate change in vivo to show the direct effects of climate change on health. For this purpose, twenty specialists, comprising ten experts active in field climate and 10 experts in field medicine and anatomy, have been consulted to design the proposed exposure protocol using the Delphi method. According to the prepared protocol, an exposure pilot was then designed and built, which provides the climatic conditions for animal exposure with a fully automatic HMI-PLC system. The results showed the average 12:12-h day/night temperature, humidity, and circadian cycle for three consecutive ten-year periods selected for exposure of 1-month-old male rats. The duration of the exposure period is four months, which is equivalent to a ten-year climatic period. This study is a framework and a starting point for examining the effects of climate change on in vivo conditions that have not yet been considered.

The microclimatic impacts of urban spaces on the behaviour of pandemics between propagation and containment: Case study historic Cairo

Although previous researches proved that frequent visits to urban spaces enhance the physical and mental health of people, most governments adopted lockdown policies after the outbreak of COVID-19. This decision has negatively impacted the wellbeing of communities and the livability of urban spaces. In this context the research questions how far the microclimatic conditions of urban space would influence its performance during respiratory pandemics? The study investigated this question through a dense literature survey including 47 scientific journal articles and governmental reports. The outputs were synthesized through a quantitative assessment framework. It detected the spatio-environmental parameters influencing the behaviour of respiratory pandemics in urban settings. To validate the framework's outputs, the research applied case study sampling for 3 urban spaces in historic Cairo. It generated digital simulations and computations addressing solar radiation, natural ventilation, air temperature, and humidity, besides space dimension and number of users. The results illustrated the areas of adequate and poor microclimatic performance during pandemics. They are demonstrated through numerical tables, digital simulations, and graphs. Eventually, a concluding assessment framework selected the optimum urban space performance to be engaged in the public life of historic Cairo during lockdown periods.

Improving City Vitality through Urban Heat Reduction with Green Infrastructure and Design Solutions: A Systematic Literature Review

Cities are prone to excess heat, manifesting as urban heat islands (UHIs). UHIs impose a heat penalty upon urban inhabitants that jeopardizes human health and amplifies the escalating effects of background temperature rises and heatwaves, presenting barriers to participation in city life that diminish interaction and activity. This review paper investigates how green infrastructure, passive design and urban planning strategies—herein termed as green infrastructure and design solutions (GIDS)—can be used to cool the urban environment and improve city vitality. A systematic literature review has been undertaken connecting UHIs, city vitality and GIDS to find evidence of how qualities and conditions fundamental to the vitality of the city are diminished by heat, and ways in which these qualities and conditions may be improved through GIDS. This review reveals that comfortable thermal conditions underpin public health and foster activity—a prerequisite for a vital city—and that reducing environmental barriers to participation in urban life enhances physical and mental health as well as activity. This review finds that GIDS manage urban energy flows to reduce the development of excess urban heat and thus improve the environmental quality of urban spaces. Furthermore, it finds that the most equitable approach to urban cooling is one that reduces the intensity of the meso-scale UHI that affects all urban inhabitants. Subsequently, a cooler urban fabric based on GIDS is proposed. A cohesive approach to the widespread adoption of GIDS shows potential to produce a cooler urban fabric that is human-centered in its function and aesthetic to enhance participation in public life and stimulate life on the streets. Four spatial scales are presented in which a combination of GIDS may be collectively implemented to reduce the meso-scale UHI, including the urban, intra-urban, building and body scales. This approach considers the interacting nature of GIDS applied within contrasting urban landscapes, and aims to produce cooler urban conditions, better walking environments, and ecosystem co-benefits to stimulate participation in physical activity and public life to underpin public health, productivity and livelihoods, thereby inducing city vitality.