The role of micro-climates in urban regeneration planning

摘要

The industrial revolution in the UK was accompanied by the rapid development of large urban areas. Over the last 50 years or so, this legacy has been substantially changed through regeneration projects in many cities. Taking the experience of Greater Manchester in north-west England as an example, this paper explores how these changes may have impacted local weather and air quality. Such impacts are sometimes more imagined than real, but in other cases they provide industrial advantage or are detrimental to human activity and even health. It is proposed that weather impacts should be one consideration when assessing the sustainability of future urban developments. 1. Introduction The last 50 years or so has seen rapid development of large cities in less-developed areas of the world (UN, 2001). Such developments largely mirror the situation that existed in countries that experienced an industrial revolution some 200 years earlier. One consequence of the growth of urban areas is their impact on local weather and consequently on the quality of life of inhabitants and, to some extent, the industrial development of such areas. This paper explores the impact of cities on weather with particular reference to Greater Manchester in north-west England, and how that impact has changed as urban regeneration has occurred.