Introduction: High-Rise Urban Form and Microclimate

Abstract

This introductory chapter serves to set the scene of the whole book. Many megacities emerged in Asian countries accompanied with the recent unprecedented urbanization process. Many researches indicate that these megacities are prone to negative consequences in urban microclimate. These are indicated by elevated urban heat island effect, stagnant urban air, and deteriorated urban outdoor comfort. The resultant air pollution, impaired human health, and extra costs in air-conditioning energy bills will make these cities less environmentally and socially sustainable. While many of these cities adopt a high-rise development pattern, it is unclear that the resultant high-rise urban form can be a cure for, or were the curse of the problems mentioned above, particularly when it comes to the district/neighborhood scales. It is well-established that urban form has an impact on the microclimate, and climate-responsive or bioclimatic building and urban design strives to help create low energy, natural, and comfortable habitable urban spaces through manipulating urban form (urban geometry, building materials, and land cover). Shanghai is chosen as the case for study, and the urban and climatic context of China’s largest city are briefly introduced. The chapter is closed by an outline of the following chapters.