Urban heat island in Padua, Italy: Simulation analysis and mitigation strategies

The paper reports on the study of the UHI phenomenon in Padua, a medium size city of the North-East of Italy. During the 2012-2014 period experimental measurements and simulations were carried out by the Authors in different zones of the city area: urban, sub-urban and rural. The analysis of the data highlights the presence of UHI effect with different magnitudes in function of the zone of the city, up to 7 degrees C. In this study a very famous square of the city (Prato della Valle) was analyzed: it can be considered representative of the phenomenon because of the size and the very different characteristics from UHI effect point of view. The ENVImet simulation model was used to evaluate the effect of some mitigation strategies. Two scenarios besides the actual one ("AsIs'' scenario) were analyzed: "Green ground'' (halving the asphalt surface and doubling the green and plants surface) and "Cool Pavements'' (increasing the albedo of impervious horizontal surfaces). The simulations results are presented both in terms of UHI intensity and mean radiant temperature and thermal comfort sensation. The results are presented both in spatial and temporal terms for a typical summer day. The "Green ground'' scenario allows till 1.4 degrees C and 3 degrees C decrease in air temperature, respectively during the night and the day. The same items for the "Cool Pavements'' scenario are, respectively, 1.8 and 4 degrees C. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.