Exploring Energy Efficiency in Historical Urban Fabrics for Energy-Conscious Planning of New Urban Developments
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 150, Issue 2
Abstract
The global rise in urban energy demand poses severe environmental and economic health challenges. We need adaptive policies in urban planning to reduce the need for urban energy. This has become a prominent agenda in urban planning, encompassing social (education and innovation in consumption), economic (real pricing), and physical (urban morphology) aspects. This research aims to investigate the influential role of urban form, particularly the physical environment, on energy performance. The methodological approach is centered on conducting analytical-comparative research to examine how urban form influences theoretical energy requirements. Yazd City is selected as a case study because of its distinctive features and traditional approaches to urban sustainability, which have been largely overlooked in previous energy consumption investigations. In a broader comparative context, five tissue types (morphological units) have been selected from Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, and Venice and used as the analytical basis of the study. The research categorizes urban forms into three levels: macro (fabric), medium (block), and micro (building patterns). Heating, cooling, and total energy consumption were computed at each level. The findings indicate that, at the macroscale, the Barcelona fabric offers the highest potential for adaptation in the hot, dry climate of Yazd City. Moreover, the paper analyzes the most recurring morphological indices in the tissues and proposes guidelines for new developments tailored to Yazd City's unique climatic conditions. By focusing on urban form's impact on energy performance, this research contributes to the broader understanding of sustainable urban planning. It offers valuable insights for energy-sensitive urban development in other contexts facing similar climate challenges.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
References
Adolphe, L. 2001. “A simplified model of urban morphology: Application to an analysis of the environmental performance of cities.” Environ. Plann. B: Plan. Des. 28 (2): 183–200. https://doi.org/10.1068/b2631.
Arboit, M., A. Diblasi, J. F. Llano, and C. de Rosa. 2008. “Assessing the solar potential of low-density urban environments in Andean cities with desert climates: The case of the city of Mendoza, in Argentina.” Renewable Energy 33 (8): 1733–1748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2007.11.007.
Biernacki, P., and D. Waldorf. 1981. “Snowball sampling: Problems and techniques of chain referral sampling.” Sociological Methods Res. 10 (2): 141–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/004912418101000205.
Bramley, G., and S. Power. 2009. “Urban form and social sustainability: The role of density and housing type.” Environ. Plann. B Plann. Des. 36: 30–48. https://doi.org/10.1068/b33129.
Changalvaiee, Y., M. Behzadfar, M. Mohammadi, and Z. S. S. Zarabadi. 2017. “Urban morphology and energy performances: Investigating the impacts of urban openness factor on theoretical energy demand, case study: IsFahan urban morphological types.” Armanshahr Archit. Urban Dev. 10 (18): 133–147.
Cionco, R. M., and R. Ellefsen. 1998. “High resolution urban morphology data for urban wind flow modeling.” Atmos. Environ. 32: 7–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(97)00274-4.
Crane, R. 2000. “The influence of urban form on travel: An interpretive review.” J. Plant Lit. 15: 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/08854120022092890.
Dehghan, A. A. 2011. “Status and potentials of renewable energies in Yazd Province—Iran.” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 15 (3): 1491–1496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2010.11.002.
Energy Globe. 2018. Energy Globe world awards 2018. Yazd, Iran: Energy Globe.
Esmaeili, M., A. Asghari, M. Baziyar, A. Jalalzadeh, A. Rahaie, A. Somelo, A. Kazemi, M. Keramati, A. Golabchi, and M. Havaie. 2010. Iran’s national building regulations. Tehran, Iran: Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.
Ewing, R., and E. Dumbaugh. 2009. “The built environment and traffic safety.” J. Plann. Lit. 23 (4): 347–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885412209335553.
Gherri, B., D. Maiullari, C. Finizza, M. Maretto, and E. Naboni. 2021. “On the thermal resilience of venetian open spaces.” Heritage 4 (4): 4286–4303. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage4040236.
Gupta, V. K. 1984. “Solar radiation and urban design for hot climates.” Environ. Plann. B 11 (4): 435–454. https://doi.org/10.1068/b110435.
IEA (International Energy Agency). 2016. World Energy Outlook 2016. Paris: OECD/IEA.
Javanroodi, K., M. Mahdavinejad, and V. M. Nik. 2018. “Impacts of urban morphology on reducing cooling load and increasing ventilation potential in hot-arid climate.” Appl. Energy 231: 714–746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.09.116.
Juaidi, A., F. AlFaris, F. Saeed, E. Salmeron-Manzano, and F. Manzano-Agugliaro. 2019. “Urban design to achieving the sustainable energy of residential neighbourhoods in arid climate.” J. Cleaner Prod. 228: 135–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.269.
Kämpf, J. H., and D. Robinson. 2009. “Optimization of urban energy demand using an evolutionary algorithm.” In Proc. of the Eleventh Int. IBPSA Conf. London: IBPSA.
Kasmaie, M. 2016. Climate and architecture. Tehran, Iran: Iran Investment and House Construction Company.
Khalili, M., and S. Amindeldar. 2014. “Traditional solutions in low energy buildings of hot-arid regions of Iran.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 13: 171–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2014.05.008.
Krüger, E., D. Pearlmutter, and F. Rasia. 2010. “Evaluating the impact of canyon geometry and orientation on cooling loads in a high-mass building in a hot dry environment.” Appl. Energy 87: 2068–2078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2009.11.034.
Leng, H., X. Chen, Y. Ma, N. H. Wong, and T. Ming. 2020. “Urban morphology and building heating energy consumption: Evidence from Harbin, a severe cold region city.” Energy Build. 224: 110143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110143.
Long, N., P. G. Mestayer, and C. Kergomard. 2003. “Urban database analysis for mapping morphology and aerodynamic parameters: The case of St. Jerome Sub-urban Area, in Marseille during ESCOMPTE. In CD Proc., 5th Int. Conf. on Urban Climate, 4. Lodz, Poland: University of Łódź.
Martilli, A. 2014. “An idealized study of city structure, urban climate, energy consumption, and air quality.” Urban Clim. 10: 430–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2014.03.003.
Martin, L., 1967, “Architects' approach to architecture.” RIBA J. 74.
Martins, T. A., L. Adolphe, L. E. Bastos, and M. A. Martins. 2016. “Sensitivity analysis of urban morphology factors regarding solar energy potential of buildings in a Brazilian tropical context.” Sol. Energy 137: 11–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2016.07.053.
Morganti, M., A. Salvati, H. Coch, and C. Cecere. 2017. “Urban morphology indicators for solar energy analysis.” Energy Procedia 134: 807–814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.09.533.
Mostafaeipoir, A. 2010. “Feasibility study of harnessing wind energy for turbine installation in province of Yazd in Iran.” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 15 (3): 1575–1592.
Mostafavi, N., M. Farzinmoghadam, S. Hoque, and B. Weil. 2014. “Integrated urban metabolism analysis tool (IUMAT).” Urban Policy Res. 32: 53–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/08111146.2013.826578.
Mostafavi, N., M. P. Heris, F. Gándara, and S. Hoque. 2021. “The relationship between urban density and building energy consumption.” Buildings 11 (10): 455. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11100455.
Mutani, G., V. Todeschi, and S. Santantonio. 2022. “Urban-scale energy models: The relationship between cooling energy demand and urban form.” J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 2177 (1): 012016. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/2177/1/012016.
Nasrollahi, F. 2009. Climate and energy responsive housing in continental climates: The suitability of passive houses for Iran's dry and cold climate. Berlin: Univerlagtuberlin.
Newman, P., and J. Kenworthy. 1989. “Gasoline consumption and cities.” J. Am. Plann. Assoc. 55 (1): 24–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944368908975398.
Newton, P., S. Tucker, and M. Ambrose. 2000. “Housing form, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.” In Achieving sustainable urban form, edited by K. Williams, E. Burton, and M. Jenks, 74–84. London: Spon Press, Taylor and Francis Group.
Olgyay, V., A. Olgyay, D. Lyndon, J. Reynolds, and K. Yeang, 2015. Design with climate: Bioclimatic approach to architectural regionalism. New and Expanded Ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Pacheco, R., J. Ordóñez, and G. Martínez. 2012. “Energy efficient design of building: A review.” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 16 (6): 3559–3573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.03.045.
Pisello, A. L., J. E. Taylor, X. Xu, and F. Cotana. 2012. “Inter-building effect: Simulating the impact of a network of buildings on the accuracy of building energy performance predictions.” Build. Environ. 58: 37–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.06.017.
Ramakreshnan, L., N. Aghamohammadi, C. Fong, A. Ghaffarianhoseini, L. Wong, R. Noor, N. Hanif, W. Azriyati Wan Abd Aziz, N. Sulaiman, and N. Hassan. 2019. “A qualitative exploration on the awareness and knowledge of stakeholders towards Urban Heat Island phenomenon in Greater Kuala Lumpur: Critical insights for urban policy implications.” Habitat Int. 86: 28–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.02.007.
Ratti, C., D. Raydan, and K. Steemers, 2003. “Building form and environmental performance: Archetypes, analysis and an arid climate.” Energy Build. 35 (1): 49–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7788(02)00079-8.
Ratti, C., N. Baker, and K. Steemers. 2005. “Energy consumption and urban texture.” Energy Build. 37 (7): 762–776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2004.10.010.
Rode, P., G. Floater, N. Thomopoulos, J. Docherty, P. Schwinger, A. Mahendra, and W. Fang. 2017. “Accessibility in cities: Transport and urban form.” In Disrupting mobility: Impacts of sharing economy and innovative transportation on cities, edited by G. Meyer and S. Shaheen, 239–273. Cham, Switzerland: Lecture Notes in Mobility; Springer International. ISBN 978-3-319-51602-8.
Rode, P., C. Keim, G. Robazza, P. Viejo, and J. Schofield. 2014. “Cities and energy: Urban morphology and residential heat-energy demand.” Environ. Plann. B Plann. Des. 41 (1): 138–162. https://doi.org/10.1068/b39065.
Salvati, A., P. Monti, H. C. Roura, and C. Cecere. 2019. “Climatic performance of urban textures: Analysis tools for a Mediterranean urban context.” Energy Build. 185: 162–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2018.12.024.
Soflaee, F., and M. Shokouhian. 2005. “Natural cooling systems in sustainable traditional architecture of Iran.” In Proc., Paper Presented at the Int. Conf. on Passive and Low Energy Cooling for the Built Environment.
Soflaee, F., & Shokouhian, M. 2005. “Natural cooling systems in sustainable traditional architecture of Iran.” In Proc., Int. Conf. on Passive and Low Energy Cooling for the Built Environment, 715. Santorini, Greece: Heliotopos Conferences.
Theurer, W. 1999. “Typical building arrangements for urban air pollutant modeling.” Atmos. Environ. 33: 4057–4069. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(99)00147-8.
Tong, L., S. Hu, and A. Frazier. 2019. “Hierarchically measuring urban expansion in fast urbanizing regions using multi-dimensional metrics: A case of Wuhan metropolis, China.” Habitat Int. 94: 102070. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.102070.
Troy, P., et al. 2003. “Embodied and operational energy consumption in the city.” Urban Policy Res. 21 (1): 9–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/0811114032000062128.
United Nations. 2015. Global initiative for resources efficient cities. Paris, France: United Nations Environment Programme.
Vance, C., and R. Hedal. 2007. “The impact of urban form on automobile travel: Disentangling causation from correlation.” Transportation 34 (5): 575–588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-007-9128-6.
Vartholomaios, A., A. Chatzidimitriou, and K. Ioannidis. 2021. “Estimating the influence of building and urban form on the thermal loads of urban dwellings in the Mediterranean climate using machine learning.” Energy Sources Part B 16 (8): 687–706. https://doi.org/10.1080/15567249.2021.1916796.
Wang, S., X. Liu, C. Zhou, J. Hu, and J. Ou. 2017. “Examining the impacts of socioeconomic factors, urban form, and transportation networks on CO2 emissions in China’s megacities.” Appl. Energy 185: 189–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.10.052.
Wei, R., D. Song, N. H. Wong, and M. Martin. 2016. “Impact of urban morphology parameters on microclimate.” Procedia Eng. 169: 142–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.10.017.
Wetter, M., T. S. Nouidui, D. M. Lorenzetti, E. A. Lee, and A. Roth. 2015. “Prototyping the next generation EnergyPlus simulation engine.” In Proc. of the 14th Conf. of International Building Performance Simulation Association. Jaipur: IBPSA.
Wetter, M., Nouidui, T. S., Lorenzetti, D. M., Lee, E. A., & Roth, A. 2015. “Prototyping the next generation EnergyPlus simulation engine.” In Proc. of the 14th Conf. of International Building Performance Simulation Association, Hyderabad, India, Dec. 7-9.
Wong, N. H., S. K. Jusuf, N. I. Syafii, Y. Chen, N. Hajadi, H. Sathyanarayanan, and Y. V. Manickavasagam. 2011. “Evaluation of the impact of the surrounding urban morphology on building energy consumption.” Sol. Energy 85: 57–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2010.11.002.
Zhang, M., and Z. Gao. 2021. “Effect of urban form on microclimate and energy loads: Case study of generic residential district prototypes in Nanjing, China.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 70: 102930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.102930.
Ziafati Bafarasat, A. 2021. “Is our urban water system still sustainable? A simple statistical test with complexity science insight.” J. Environ. Manage. 280: 111748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111748.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 150 • Issue 2 • June 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 28, 2023
Accepted: Dec 29, 2023
Published online: Mar 20, 2024
Published in print: Jun 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Aug 20, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Building materials
- Business management
- Case studies
- Climates
- Economic factors
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Environmental engineering
- Fabrics
- Infrastructure
- Materials engineering
- Methodology (by type)
- Practice and Profession
- Research methods (by type)
- Sustainable development
- Urban and regional development
- Urban areas
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.