Developing bioclimatic urban planning and design policy for the public realm | Natural Hazards Research Australia

Developing bioclimatic urban planning and design policy for the public realm

Photo: John Englart (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Project type

Associate student research

Project status

In progress

This PhD project will apply sociotechnical systems methods and urban climate modelling scenarios to understand bioclimatic design principles in the public realm through urban planning and design policy. This is examined further through a case study of extreme heat mitigation in Queensland. The overall aim of the research is the development of recommendations that improve urban climate and outdoor thermal comfort outcomes in public spaces. 

Project details

This study will employ two systems thinking methods: Work Domain Analysis and Social Organisation and Cooperation Analysis, to model bioclimatic urban design and identify actors and regulations which support urban climate outcomes through urban planning and design. This material, combined with policy analysis, will guide the development of a set of urban planning and design typologies to test urban climate scenarios in ENVI-met V5 microclimate simulation software.   

This research will make contribute to the emerging application of sociotechnical systems to urban research, as well as coupling sociotechnical systems methods with urban climate simulations to inform scenario development. For urban planning and design practice, this work responds to urgent calls in Queensland for urban development systems to play a greater role in ameliorating urban climates.