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Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 March 2023) | Viewed by 66482

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Prof. Dr. Deo Prasad

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Guest Editor

School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Interests: sustainable buildings and cities; energy efficiency; climate change adaptation and mitigation; smart cities; regenerative cities; sustainability policy
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Dr. Lan Ding

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Guest Editor

School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Interests: sustainable buildings and cities; energy efficiency; climate change adaptation and mitigation; smart cities; regenerative cities; decision-making model; building and urban information modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urgent actions are needed for climate adaptation and mitigation in the built environment to respond to the challenges and opportunities of our time. Efforts to combat global warming and greenhouse gas emission, and achieve liveable, resilient cities are more important now than ever. This Special Issue will showcase a range of innovations from climate-oriented design to planning and policy in the built environment. It will feature new roadmaps and evidence, innovative processes, methodologies and tools, and emerging materials and technologies that address these challenges and opportunities. Researchers are invited to contribute to this Special Issue and present original research related to one or more of the following themes:

Sustainable design and planning in adapting to climate change;
Biophilic design to support resilience in environmental and human health;
Water-sensitive urban and building design to support city and building cooling;
Regenerative design and development for the potential of the capacity to reverse climate change;
Climate change mitigation strategies and assessment;
Vulnerability assessment for extreme heat;
Climate mitigation and health co-benefits;
Tools for assessing climate change mitigation and adaptation in buildings, precincts and cities.

Prof. Dr. Deo Prasad
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lan Ding
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainable design and planning
climate change adaptation and mitigation
water-sensitive urban and building design
biophilic design
regenerative design and development
vulnerability assessment
health co-benefits
resilience

Related Special Issue

Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment—2nd Edition in Sustainability

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 7582 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Kaihang Zhou and Scott Hawken

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8977; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118977 - 01 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1683

Abstract

Around the world, human populations and their supporting infrastructures are concentrated in coastal areas. With rising sea levels, these settlements and urban infrastructures are at risk of service interruptions, lasting damage and frequent climate-related hazards. Wastewater systems are especially vulnerable due to their proximity to coastlines. Despite the seriousness of sea-level-rise-induced challenges, a clear understanding of the risks and potential adaptations of coastal wastewater treatment systems and their associated landscapes in Australia has been overlooked. Further, there is a lack of urgency and awareness concerning this issue. In this study, we consider how scenario-based landscape design approaches might enhance current debates and approaches related to coastal change with particular reference to wastewater treatment systems and associated environmental landscapes. Adelaide is used as a case study, and a range of landscape planning exploratory scenarios are developed and evaluated to assess the possible consequences of different courses of action in uncertain contexts. We find that whilst wastewater treatment plants are threatened by climate-related hazards, there is an opportunity for landscape-scale environmental planning to manage risks and opportunities and improve ecological and economic outcomes. We also find that for wicked multidimensional problems, such as sea level rise, landscape scenario design testing can assist in identifying a number of creative adaptation approaches that are not immediately apparent. We find that approaches such as retreat, defense and accommodation are not mutually exclusive but can each share elements and strategies. The strategic potential of a more creative, scenario-based approach can therefore form a productive part of the sea level rise adaptation of coastal infrastructure landscapes in Australia and elsewhere. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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22 pages, 6298 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rethinking Estuary Urbanism—Preparing Australian Estuary Cities for Changes to Come in the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency

by Irene Perez Lopez and Daniel Jan Martin

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 962; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15020962 - 05 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1646

Abstract

This research investigates the challenges and opportunities of urban estuaries exposed to spatial, urban, and environmental shifts exacerbated by climate change, ecological disturbances, and population growth, taking the cities of Perth, Western Australia and Newcastle, New South Wales, as case studies. Approaching the design of estuary cities in the Climate Century demands a form of estuary urbanism and new paradigms in design, which embrace the constant presence of water. Water becomes the instrument of change to re-think the design of the city and its relationship with the non-built environment since the climate crisis is also a water crisis. Adaptation and mitigation strategies are still emerging fields in design and planning disciplines. Design disciplines can strongly contribute to generating site-specific climate-adaptative responses while re-establishing the connection between built and natural environments, improving ecological balance and spatial quality, and promoting well-being and cultural values. The methodology involves both analytical and projective-explorative methods promoting a site-specific approach, working across scales and disciplines to understand urban estuaries within larger catchments and as complex hydrological and ecological systems. A fundamental goal is the creation of site-specific design strategies to operate in low to medium-density precincts, leveraging water and nature as design tools to improve urban resilience and liveability. There is capacity here to establish design methods and principles that inform future practices through urbanism responding to dynamic ecological and water systems and the unpredictability effects of climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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33 pages, 6203 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Future-Proof Built Environment through Regenerative and Circular Lenses—Delphi Approach for Criteria Selection

by Henrique Sala Benites, Paul Osmond and Deo Prasad

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 616; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010616 - 29 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3392

Abstract

Despite the increasing use of neighbourhood sustainability assessment tools (NSAT), their linear approach may be insufficient to tackle the global and local social and ecological challenges. The circular economy (CE) has recently emerged as a new pathway, adopted by corporations and public organisations. Understanding how to apply CE to existing communities, while addressing some of its shortcomings, particularly the strong focus on resource management, is the main goal of this paper. Building upon a Regenerative Circularity for the Built Environment (RC4BE) conceptual model that merges circular economy and regenerative design concepts, a framework with criteria for its implementation in the transition of existing urban areas is proposed. A preliminary framework structure with criteria mapped from literature is proposed and validated through a 2-round Delphi consultation with 31 international experts. The final framework, with 136 criteria, addresses some of the identified gaps and different urban cycles related to physical resources, ecosystems, liveability, infrastructure, governance, participation, local economy, and other socioeconomic aspects of urban communities. This expanded take on CE should be useful for built environment professionals and other urban stakeholders interested in regenerating their communities and precincts by going beyond current green approaches and existing tools to effectively generate positive impact for people and the planet. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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14 pages, 76953 KiB

Open AccessArticle

ICARO—Innovative Cardboard ARchitecture Object: Sustainable Building Technology for Multipurpose Micro-Architecture

by Vincenzo Sapienza, Gianluca Rodonò, Angelo Monteleone and Simona Calvagna

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 16099; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316099 - 01 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2637

Abstract

ICARO (Innovative Cardboard ARchitectural Object) is a type of innovative building technology developed by a working group at the University of Catania, within the framework of the EWAS (an Early WArning System for cultural heritage) research project. It represents a tool for used to combat climate change thanks to the high level of sustainability of its component. The modular component based on ICARO technology is a pre-fabricated panel for building vertical envelopes, consisting of a laminated wood frame that contains corrugated cardboard boxes. In order to improve the panel’s structural performance, a pre-stress procedure has been adopted. The panel is cost-effective and boasts a high level of sustainability thanks to the use of lightweight, pre-cast, recycled, and recyclable materials. This technology is suitable for the construction of micro-architecture in fragile contexts. In order to test its performance, a full-scale prototype called the EP (Experience Pavilion) was built within the Megara Hyblea archaeological area in Sicily, which was chosen as a test site. A campaign to be carried out at the EP is currently being planned, which will focus on various issues. This paper describes the design of ICARO technology and the construction of the EP prototype. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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19 pages, 546 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Urban Air Pollution, Urban Heat Island and Human Health: A Review of the Literature

by Awais Piracha and Muhammad Tariq Chaudhary

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9234; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159234 - 28 Jul 2022

Cited by 53 | Viewed by 15627

Abstract

Many cities of the world suffer from air pollution because of poor planning and design and heavy traffic in rapidly expanding urban environments. These conditions are exacerbated due to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. While there have been studies linking the built environment and air pollution with health, they have ignored the aggravating role of UHI. The past urban planning literature in this field has also ignored the science of materials, vehicles and air pollution, and technological solutions for reducing cumulative health impacts of air pollution and UHI. Air Pollution, built environment and human health are complex discussion factors that involve several different fields. The built environment is linked with human health through opportunities of physical activity and air quality. Recent planning literature focuses on creating compact and walkable urban areas dotted with green infrastructure to promote physical activity and to reduce vehicle emission-related air pollution. Reduced car use leading to reduced air pollution and UHI is implied in the literature. The literature from technology fields speaks to the issue of air pollution directly. Zero emission cars, green infrastructure and building materials that absorb air pollutants and reduce UHI fall within this category. This paper identifies main themes in the two streams of urban air pollution and UHI that impact human health and presents a systematic review of the academic papers, policy documents, reports and features in print media published in the last 10–20 years. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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20 pages, 3298 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Landscape Design for Flood Adaptation from 20 Years of Constructed Ecologies in China

by Elisa Palazzo and Sisi Wang

Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4511; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084511 - 10 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4287

Abstract

In highly urbanized floodplains, it is becoming widely accepted that a change is needed to move away from flood control towards flood adaptation paradigms. To address riverine and flash flooding in urban areas, urban and landscape designers have developed design solutions that are able to increase urban ecological resilience by allocating space to fluctuating water levels. With the purpose of operationalizing flood resilience, this study explores how constructed ecology principles are applied to the design of multifunctional landscapes to restore floodplain functions in urban areas and prevent downstream flooding. The study adopts a design-by-research approach to examine 30 case studies from the Sponge Cities initiative realized in China in the last twenty years and develops a toolbox of Flood Adaptation Types for stormwater management. The results are aimed at informing operations in the planning and design professions by proposing a schematic design framework for flood adaptation in different geographic conditions, scales, and climates. The study sets up the bases for a systematic assessment of flood adaptation responses also by facilitating communication between disciplines, designers, and non-experts. This will enable evidence-based decisions in landscape architecture and urban design, as well as fulfill pedagogic purposes in higher education and research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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19 pages, 4855 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Designing Transformation: Negotiating Solar and Green Strategies for the Sustainable Densification of Urban Neighbourhoods

by Elisabeth Fassbender, Ferdinand Ludwig, Andreas Hild, Thomas Auer and Claudia Hemmerle

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3438; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063438 - 15 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2870

Abstract

The current need to redevelop post-war residential settlements opens up the opportunity to exploit the potential for densification and for the climatic and energetic activation of building envelopes through greenery and photovoltaics. The question arises as to which design strategies help to identify and balance relevant solar, green, and densification interventions that would lead to new qualities in the built environment. This work relies on a threefold research by design approach to acquire this knowledge base. Within a research-based design studio, four teams of master’s students in architecture faced the design task in a case study of an inner-city perimeter block development in Munich, thus covering the first two phases of the research by design process: Phase 1—pre-design, comprises a shared knowledge literature research, among other things, and concludes with specific research questions for the subsequent phase; Phase 2—design. Here, design concepts answer the research questions and are iteratively adapted and evaluated in an interdisciplinary expert discourse. Phase 3—post-design, synthesises the design proposals into design strategies. By gaining insights into the benefits and disadvantages of solar and green interventions, the research provides designers and urban planners with strategies to design the practical transformation and upgrading of urban residential structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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32 pages, 3356 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Resilient Buildings and Distributed Energy: A Grassroots Community Response to the Climate Emergency

by Sarah Niklas, Dani Alexander and Scott Dwyer

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3186; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063186 - 08 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4104

Abstract

The severity and incidence of extreme weather events are increasing with climate change. In particular, wildfires are becoming more frequent, more intense, and longer lasting than before. Fuelled by long periods of dryness and high temperatures, the Australian wildfires of 2019/2020 were record breaking in terms of destruction and chaos. Rural communities were severely affected by power cuts disabling access to essential services. Following the wildfires, a concept for energy resilient public buildings (“Emergency Distributed Energy System”) emerged as a grassroots community idea from the wildfire-affected area of Gippsland, southeast Australia. A combination of desktop and empirical research explored international examples of energy resilience and climate mitigation, the local services and technologies that are needed in Gippsland, and the legal and regulatory challenges and enablers in Australia. The findings were informed by case studies of responses to natural disasters that included California and Greece (wildfires), New Zealand (earthquake), and India (cyclone). The results determined that community resilience can be increased by offering a more reliable electricity supply that would support greater social, political, and economic structures. The deployment of resilient energy systems should be driven by political will, economic incentives and working with communities to support a concerted shift towards low-emissions and distributed energy technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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23 pages, 8292 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing a Decision-Making Framework for Regenerative Precinct Development

by William Craft, Lan Ding and Deo Prasad

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12604; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212604 - 15 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3322

Abstract

The consequences of the extractive and disconnected relationship with nature that has dominated past and current sustainability approaches are now being witnessed. A harmonious relationship with nature needs to be reestablished to guide how we can live, act and respond to the global climate emergency. Regenerative development has emerged as a process which enables the reconnection between human and natural systems to create the necessary conditions for a healthy and thriving future. While several frameworks and tools have been developed to support the implementation of regenerative development practices, few deal specifically with decision-making and its associated challenges and opportunities. Responding to this, the purpose of this paper is to present the development of a novel decision-making framework for regenerative precinct development. It is an evidence-based framework established from the key findings of a qualitative case study investigation into the decision-making approaches of regenerative precinct developments. It is a visual guiding framework that poses challenging questions to enable decision-makers to structure and align their thinking, decisions and actions with the fundamental principles of regenerative development. This paper discusses the framework’s development, its key features and theoretical basis, and its potential to influence decision-making practices towards regenerative development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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27 pages, 4394 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development and Validation of a Roadmap to Assist the Performance-Based Early-Stage Design Process of Adaptive Opaque Facades

by Miren Juaristi, Thaleia Konstantinou, Tomás Gómez-Acebo and Aurora Monge-Barrio

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 10118; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310118 - 03 Dec 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3132

Abstract

Adaptive Opaque Facades (AOF) is an innovative concept with potential to achieve low carbon energy buildings. However, so far AOF are not integrated in the construction industry. One remarkable issue that designers have when dealing with alternative low-carbon technologies, such as AOF, is the absence of previous built experiences and the lack of specialised technical knowledge. Design roadmaps can be convenient solutions to guide pioneer low carbon technology applications. This work presents a roadmap to assist the performance-based early-stage design process of Adaptive Opaque Facades. Previous research developed new approaches and tools to assist on the construction definition of AOF, so that their adaptive thermal performance was considered when specific design decisions needed to be made. The roadmap presented in this paper organises the implementation sequence of each methodological approach and tools in different design stages, which aims to provide a holistic design approach for AOF. The usability of the roadmap was validated in a workshop called “Performance-based Design and Assessment of Adaptive Facades” with master students representing the target group of this roadmap. Even though these students had never heard about AOF before, they could successfully design, define the early-stage characteristics of an AOF and quantify the thermal performance of their AOF designs. The roadmap was proven to be a useful support, which might make the implementation of AOF more approachable in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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25 pages, 2067 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Navigating Climate Change: Rethinking the Role of Buildings

by Raymond J. Cole

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9527; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229527 - 16 Nov 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5516

Abstract

This paper focuses on the design of buildings as part of society’s response to the climate crisis in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. It draws on a broad literature to address two interrelated goals—first, to align regenerative development and design with the necessary bottom-up adaptation strategies and human agency, and second, to identify new, broader possible roles of buildings and responsibilities of design professionals. This required a comparison of current green building and emerging regenerative approaches and identifying the relevant characteristics of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms. The paper accepts that adaptation to climate change will, to a large extent, depend on people’s day-to-day actions in the places they live, and argues that the built environment will have to be infused with the capability to enable inhabitants’ greater agency. Viewing buildings as playing a connective role in the existing urban fabric seriously challenges the primacy of the individual building as the focus of environmental strategies. The roles of building design professionals will likely expand to include mediating between top-down imposed government controls and increasing bottom-up neighborhood-scale social activism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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15 pages, 3164 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial and Behavioral Thermal Adaptation in Net Zero Energy Buildings: An Exploratory Investigation

by Shady Attia

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7961; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12197961 - 25 Sep 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3697

Abstract

Climate responsive design can amplify the positive environmental effects necessary for human habitation and constructively engage and reduce the energy use of existing buildings. This paper aims to assess the role of the thermal adaptation design strategy on thermal comfort perception, occupant behavior, and building energy use in twelve high-performance Belgian households. Thermal adaptation involves thermal zoning and behavioral adaptation to achieve thermal comfort and reduce energy use in homes. Based on quantitative and qualitative fieldwork and in-depth interviews conducted in Brussels, the paper provides insights on the impact of using mechanical systems in twelve newly renovated nearly- and net-zero energy households. The article calls for embracing thermal adaptation as a crucial design principle in future energy efficiency standards and codes. Results confirm the rebound effect in nearly zero energy buildings and the limitation of the current building energy efficiency standards. The paper offers a fresh perspective to the field of building energy efficiency that will appeal to researchers and architects, as well as policymakers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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Review

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20 pages, 36124 KiB

Open AccessReview

An Oceania Urban Design Agenda Linking Ecosystem Services, Nature-Based Solutions, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Wellbeing

by Gabriel Luke Kiddle, Maibritt Pedersen Zari, Paul Blaschke, Victoria Chanse and Rebecca Kiddle

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12660; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212660 - 16 Nov 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4795

Abstract

Many coastal peri-urban and urban populations in Oceania are heavily reliant on terrestrial and marine ecosystem services for subsistence and wellbeing. However, climate change and urbanisation have put significant pressure on ecosystems and compelled nations and territories in Oceania to urgently adapt. This article, with a focus on Pacific Island Oceania but some insight from Aotearoa New Zealand, reviews key literature focused on ecosystem health and human health and wellbeing in Oceania and the important potential contribution of nature-based solutions to limiting the negative impacts of climate change and urbanisation. The inextricable link between human wellbeing and provision of ecosystem services is well established. However, given the uniqueness of Oceania, rich in cultural and biological diversity and traditional ecological knowledge, these links require further examination leading potentially to a new conceptualisation of wellbeing frameworks in relation to human/nature relationships. Rapidly urbanising Oceania has a growing body of rural, peri-urban and urban nature-based solutions experience to draw from. However, important gaps in knowledge and practice remain. Pertinently, there is a need, potential—and therefore opportunity—to define an urban design agenda positioned within an urban ecosystem services framework, focused on human wellbeing and informed by traditional ecological knowledge, determined by and relevant for those living in the islands of Oceania as a means to work towards effective urban climate change adaptation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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26 pages, 4718 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Urban Heat Island and Its Interaction with Heatwaves: A Review of Studies on Mesoscale

by Jing Kong, Yongling Zhao, Jan Carmeliet and Chengwang Lei

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10923; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910923 - 30 Sep 2021

Cited by 51 | Viewed by 7523

Abstract

With rapid urbanization, population growth and anthropogenic activities, an increasing number of major cities across the globe are facing severe urban heat islands (UHI). UHI can cause complex impacts on the urban environment and human health, and it may bring more severe effects under heatwave (HW) conditions. In this paper, a holistic review is conducted to articulate the findings of the synergies between UHI and HW and corresponding mitigation measures proposed by the research community. It is worth pointing out that most studies show that urban areas are more vulnerable than rural areas during HWs, but the opposite is also observed in some studies. Changes in urban energy budget and major drivers are discussed and compared to explain such discrepancies. Recent studies also indicate that increasing albedo, vegetation fraction and irrigation can lower the urban temperature during HWs. Research gaps in this topic necessitate more studies concerning vulnerable cities in developing countries. Moreover, multidisciplinary studies considering factors such as UHI, HW, human comfort, pollution dispersion and the efficacy of mitigation measures should be conducted to provide more accurate and explicit guidance to urban planners and policymakers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Climate Emergency: Design, Planning and Assessment of the Built Environment)

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