Impact of Digital Planning Tools on the enhancement of the Urban Microclimate : Case study: Grasbrook New District, Hamburg

Abstract

The consolidated digital Era in which we have stepped into, in combination with the disadvantageous consequences of globalization such as the outbreak of pandemics, stresses the urgent necessity to re-design new methods to approach city planning in an innovative way. Partly, the relevance of optimizing the planning processes of cities, is due to the human need to socialize in its urban open spaces, areas where at the same time, microclimate conditions are most exacerbated. This study focuses on understanding the impact of digital tools for the enhancement of the urban microclimate, within the context of city planning. For this, a case study area is selected at neighborhood scale, in the new District of Grasbrook, one of the upcoming urban developments with an integrative approach for the city of Hamburg. The methodology to address the posed research questions involves a qualitative phase of literature review and expert interviews, followed by an experimental phase of microclimate assessment, through analog field measurements and digital computational modelling and simulations, using the microclimate assessment software Envi-Met to assess outdoor thermal comfort. The resulted outcome of the methodology provides findings from the design and technical perspective, translated into a series of general recommendations which should potentially provide views on a more efficient incorporation of microclimate assessment into the city planning process.