Applying "Local Climate Zone (LCZ)" into High-density Highrise Cities – A Case Study in Hong Kong (Jan 14 - Dec 15)
• Researcher: Renchao
• Funding Amount: HK$657,800
• Funding source: RGC Early Career Scheme (ECS) Exercise 2013/14

The aim of this study is to apply and extend the “local climate zone” (LCZ) classification to a high density city by focusing on the Hong Kong urban scenario, and to gain a better scientific understanding on the effects of high-density/compact urban building construction and development on their local climate.

Firstly, the proposed study will collect site metadata of urban morphology and land cover through field surveys with up to 30 local sites being visited. Secondly, on-site spot field measurements will be carried out to capture spatial variations in the local thermal environment. Thirdly, the study will employ the ENVI-met model simulation to get a comprehensive understanding of the thermal environment of each survey site. Then, the collected data and simulation results will be analysed to examine the effects of high density urban development on the local climate and to develop a LCZ for Hong Kong.
The research will contribute to scholarly understanding of the effects of high-density urban developments on their local climatic conditions. In practice, the findings will provide planners and governments with a useful and quantitative reference of high density sites and their local climatic features, which could guide them to create better climatic spatial planning for mega cities.