Climate and water sensitive urban design

Summary

This project-based course introduces students to the field of urban climate and hydrology, with a focus on nature-based solutions for the design of climate and water resilient cities.

Content

Keywords

Urban Climate, Urban Hydrology, Nature-Based Solutions, Green Infrastructures, Resilient Cities

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Explain how cities modify land surface processes on multiple temporal and spatial scales
• Quantify the physical processes governing the climate and hydrology of cities (e.g., urban heat and dry islands, air pollution, runoff generation, flood risk)
• Apply urban physics concepts in urban design
• Propose nature-based solutions to design more sustainable and resilient cities

Transversal skills

• Use a work methodology appropriate to the task.
• Communicate effectively with professionals from other disciplines.
• Evaluate one's own performance in the team, receive and respond appropriately to feedback.
• Identify the different roles that are involved in well-functioning teams and assume different roles, including leadership roles.
• Write a scientific or technical report.
• Take account of the social and human dimensions of the engineering profession.
• Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.

Teaching methods

Weekly lectures (L): carried out at the blackboard and with the aid of projected material

Weekly design tutorials/exercises (E): students will work in multidisciplinary teams on a group project for the entire duration of the course

Assessment methods

40% Individual in-class test

60% Group project (40%) with individual components (20%)

Resources

Bibliography

Oke, T. R., Mills, G., Christen, A., & Voogt, J. A. (2017). Urban climates. Cambridge University Press (available online).

Guo, J. C., Wang, W., & Li, J. (2022). Urban Drainage and Storage Practices. CRC Press (Available online).

Moodle Link

• https://go.epfl.ch/ENV-526