Resource-Efficient Urban Systems Aimed at Facing Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) and Local Climate Change

It has been observed that the temperature of ambient air in an urban area is greater than that in the surrounding rural area, and the urban area has its own microclimate. This variation in temperature and microclimate is caused by the change in surface properties of urban areas, reduced convective heat transfer rate, increased absorption of solar radiation, lower rate of evaporation of water, etc. The area having a temperature higher than that of the surroundings is known as an urban heat island (abbreviated as UHI). The UHI also has a greater impact on energy demand for heating and cooling of buildings to achieve desired thermal comfort conditions. However, this increased energy demand increases the consumption of petroleum resources, causing greenhouse gas emissions and favoring the increasing UHI effect. This chapter begins with an introduction and concept of UHI, followed by causes of UHI and various mitigation strategies along with their positive and negative responses. At the end of the chapter, the authors are going to suggest a few mitigation strategies, which should be adopted during the planning of any city.