Derivation of generic typologies for microscale urban airflow studies

•Development of a pluridisciplinary approach: urban morphology analysis and urban physics.•Synthesis of airflow types in the UCL.•Description of urban forms from an aerodynamic point of view.•Morphological abstraction of worldwide urban forms.•Derivation of generic typologies of buildings and urban blocks suited for basic airflow studies. Because of their structures, urban areas induce very complex airflow in the roughness sublayer while it notably impacts on urban microclimates, ventilation potential, pedestrian wind safety and comfort as well as building energy loads. Designing sustainable cities requires thus a pluridisciplinary approach. Therefore, this paper aims to support cooperation between urban designers and urban physicists/climatologists. After a review of air flow types in the urban canopy layer (UCL) in case of forced convection, this paper reviews qualitative and quantitative characterizations of urban structures used in urban airflow studies. Combining the morphological attributes identified as influential on airflow in the UCL with a morphological analysis of existing urban patterns in a transdisciplinary approach, generic typologies of isolated buildings and urban blocks suited for systematic environmental airflow studies are suggested. Within this framework, the complexity of the proposed types could be further increased towards realistic urban configurations.