Impact of urban form and design on mid-afternoon microclimate in Phoenix Local Climate Zones

This study investigates the impact of urban form and landscaping type on the mid-afternoon microclimate in semi-arid Phoenix, Arizona. The goal is to find effective urban form and design strategies to ameliorate temperatures during the summer months. We simulated near-ground air temperatures for typical residential neighborhoods in Phoenix using the three-dimensional microclimate model ENVI-met. The model was validated using weather observations from the North Desert Village (NDV) landscape experiment, located on the Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus. The NDV is an ideal site to determine the model's input parameters, since it is a controlled environment recreating three prevailing residential…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: BCS-1026865, 1031690, 0951366, SES-0951366, 1026865
• TU
  Technische Universität Kaiserslautern
• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Award: IRTG 1131
• DO
  Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation

  Award: 1031690