Urban Climates

Urban Climates is the first full synthesis of modern scientific and applied research on urban climates. The book begins with an outline of what constitutes an urban ecosystem. It develops a comprehensive terminology for the subject using scale and surface classification as key constructs. It explains the physical principles governing the creation of distinct urban climates, such as airflow around buildings, the heat island, precipitation modification and air pollution, and it then illustrates how this knowledge can be applied to moderate the undesirable consequences of urban development and help create more sustainable and resilient cities. With urban climate science now a fully-fledged field, this timely book fulfills the need to bring together the disparate parts of climate research on cities into a coherent framework. It is an ideal resource for students and researchers in fields such as climatology, urban hydrology, air quality, environmental engineering and urban design.

'This is a very important book for anyone interested in understanding the climates of cities - their characteristics, controls, causes and implications. Comprehensive, clearly written, richly illustrated, and with broad ranging examples and well documented sources of data, this is a book that should be read by researchers, students and practitioners interested in the urban environment, urban planning and design, and smart cities. Its presentation makes it accessible, valuable and insightful, to those new to the field as well as established experts. This book will be a classic reference that will stand up to being read many times.' Sue Grimmond, University of Reading

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