Review and Critical Analysis of International UHI Studies

homeowner for example to choose whether they install a green roof or plant a tree in their
garden. Therefore the scheme has to be deemed suitably attractive to warrant its uptake, this can
be tested by undertaking public consultation and pilot schemes. The papers reviewed did not
make reference to this area, generally any legislation passed must be accepted and adhered to
avoid risk of prosecution. Objection to legislation occurs and petitions are written to the
Government, it is then up to the Government as to how they respond.
Primary Barriers/Catalysts:
� Level of information, measurement and modeling of benefits to support policy
development;
� Timescales relating to policy development and particularly building codes;
� Level of political will to develop appropriate policy;
� Ability to enforce policy particularly at local level if set at a national level;
� Level of coordination of policies on technology transfer and promotion;
� Degree of harmonized technical standards;
� Level of development of regulatory frameworks;
� Level of capacity of institutions to develop and implement policy;
� Attractiveness of non mandatory mitigation programs to general public.
5.6 Urban Planning and Retrofit
This section examines the urban planning issues and the degree to which current practice could
act to inhibit or facilitate the deployment of Urban Heat Island countermeasures. The planning
issues that face the retrofit market versus the new build market are often different and thus they
are examined in greater detail. The planning issues faced between countries may also vary
depending on the regional/local regulation, government priorities, climatic conditions, etc.
Retrofit measures can take the form of energy efficiency measures, roof replacements, pavement
alterations, planting and potentially upgrading of transport networks to reduce the use of
personal vehicles. We report the general issues that have been identified and discuss potential
measures to resolve for each countermeasure.
Sky view, green infrastructure, building materials and population density are all elements of
urban design and planning and are largely controllable, these elements also help form the causal
factors of the UHI [007]. When planning for cities, planners and designers should first consider
the urban microclimate in order to ensure the design approach is compatible with the urban
characteristics and UHI effects. In order to assist this process, the research and scientific
community could supply planners and designers with guidelines about the most appropriate
measures to relieve the effects such as, the best use of open areas and parks and urban geometry
[006]. In the UK, the Government Office for London (GLA) are currently (October 2009)
developing a model in collaboration with University College London and various partners called
LUCID (The development of a Local Urban Climate model and its application to the Intelligent
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