Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Asian High-Rise Urbanism

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
High-Rise Urban Form and Microclimate

Part of the book series: The Urban Book Series ((UBS))

  • 837 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter firstly looks back in retrospect at the brief history and precedents of high-rise urbanism and then reviews the contemporary development of high-rise urbanism in Asian megacities by a comparison in economic, social, and environmental aspects of three Asian megacities, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. The comparative study, with respect to climate, geography/topography, demography, urban governance and policy, etc., reveals that, while the new town system featuring high-rise high-density neighborhood and public transit-oriented development, as adopted by Singapore and Hong Kong, has effectively responded to the critical challenges such as land restriction in the progression of urbanization and evolved toward sustainable compact urban forms, the city of Shanghai seems to be influenced by the new urbanism movement mostly found in North American cities. With largely unsatisfactory government support in urban public service infrastructure and land-use planning for compact development, the intended city center redevelopment and suburbanization (the One City and Nine Towns scheme) seem to have led toward urban sprawling and deteriorating urban environment. The comparison indicates a more compact high-rise urban form may better support environmental sustainable development of Shanghai, and an integrated climate-responsive planning and design workflow are to be developed, and better inter- and cross-disciplinary communication is needed between urban climatology and urban design. For that, a framework is proposed for microclimate research and design integration for high-rise urbanism, and the parametrization of urban form on microclimate at three scales is listed for the followed case studies in Part Two.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 179.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bosselmann P, Arens E, Dunker K, Wright R (1995) Urban form and climate: case Study Toronto. J Am Plan Assoc 61:226–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Building Department Hong Kong SAR (2008) Sustainable building design guidelines. APP-152

    Google Scholar 

  • Burian S (2002) Urban informatics and morphological analysis

    Google Scholar 

  • Ca VT, Asaeda T (1998) Reductions in air conditioning energy caused by a nearby park. Energy Build 29:83–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Ng E (2011) Quantitative urban climate mapping based on a geographical database: a simulation approach using Hong Kong as a case study. Int J Appl Earth Obs Geoinf 13:586–594

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Ng E, An X, Ren C, Lee M, Wang U, He Z (2012) Sky view factor analysis of street canyons and its implications for daytime intra-urban air temperature differentials in high-rise, high-density urban areas of Hong Kong: a GIS-based simulation approach. Int J Climatol 32:121–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corbusier L (1987) The city of to-morrow and its planning. Dover

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimoudi A, Nikolopoulou M (2003) Vegetation in the urban environment: microclimatic analysis and benefits. Energy Build 35:69–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eliasson I (2000) The use of climate knowledge in urban planning. Landscape Urban Plan 48:31–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erell E (2008) The application of urban climate research in the design of cities. In: Santamouris M (ed) Advances in building energy research, vol 2. Earthscan, London, pp 95–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Fesselmeyer E, Seah KYS (2018) The effect of localized density on housing prices in Singapore. Reg Sci Urban Econ 68:304–315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gal CV (2014) The influence of built form and vegetation on the canopy layer microclimate within urban blocks. Acta Climatologica ez Chorologica Universitatis Szegediensis, 47–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Gál T, Unger J (2014) A new software tool for SVF calculations using building and tree-crown databases. Urban Climate 10(Part 3):594–606

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gartland L (2008) Heat islands: understanding and mitigating heat in urban areas. Earthscan, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Giridharan R, Lau SSY, Ganesan S, Givoni B (2008) Lowering the outdoor temperature in high-rise high-density residential developments of coastal Hong Kong: the vegetation influence. Build Environ 43:1583–1595

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Givoni B (1998) Climate considerations in building and urban design. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimmond CSB, Oke T (1998) Aerodynamic properties of urban areas derived from analysis of surface form. J Appl Meteorol 38:1262–1292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fung A, Lau S, Lin P, Zhang Z, Yim S, Guoxing W & 冯宜萱, 刘., 林萍英,张智栋,严汝洲,王国兴 (2011) Green and people-oriented design approach for a hyper density sustainable community: redevelopment of Upper-Ngau Tau Kok Estate phases 2&3 in Hong Kong. 以住户为导向的高层高密度可持续社区设计——香港牛头角上邨(二、三期)重建项目(in Chinese). J Eco-city Green Build, 20–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Hang J, Li Y, Sandberg M, Buccolieri R, Di Sabatino S (2012) The influence of building height variability on pollutant dispersion and pedestrian ventilation in idealized high-rise urban areas. Build Environ 56:346–360

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson GT, Watson ID (1984) The determination of view-factors in urban canyon. J Climate Appl Meteorol 23:329–335

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juan Y-H, Yang A-S, Wen C-Y, Lee Y-T, Wang P-C (2017) Optimization procedures for enhancement of city breathability using arcade design in a realistic high-rise urban area. Build Environ 121:247–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jusuf SK, Wong NH (2009) Development of empirical models for an estate level air temperature prediction in Singapore. In: Proceeding of second international conference on countermeasures to urban heat islands, Berkley, California, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Karatasou S, Santamouris M, Geros V (2006) Urban building climatology. In: Santamouris M (ed) Environmental design of urban buildings: an integrated approach. Earthscan, London, U.K., pp 95–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruger E, Givoni B (2007) Outdoor measurements and temperature comparisons of seven monitoring stations: preliminary studies in Curitiba, Brazil. Build Environ 42:1685–1698

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kubota T, Miura M, Tominaga Y, Mochida A (2008) Wind tunnel tests on the relationship between building density and pedestrian-level wind velocity: development of guidelines for realizing acceptable wind environment in residential neighborhoods. Build Environ 43:1699–1708

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindberg F, Grimmond CSB (2011) The influence of vegetation and building morphology on shadow patterns and mean radiant temperatures in urban areas: model development and evaluation. Theoret Appl Climatol 105:311–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowry WP (1977) Empirical estimation of urban effects on climate: A problem analysis. J Appl Meteorol 16:129–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mills G, Cleugh H, Emmanuel R, Endlicher W, Erell E, McGranahan G, Ng E, Nickson A, Rosenthal J, Steemer K (2010) Climate information for improved planning and management of mega cities (needs perspective). Procedia Environ Sci 1:228–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MOHURD (Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development) (2002) Standard for classification of urban green space. CJJ/T 85-2002. China Architecture and Building Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • MOHURD (Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development) (2014) Design standard for thermal environment of urban residential areas. JGJ286-2013. China Architecture and Building Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Ng E (2008) Policies and technical guidelines for urban planning of high-density cities—air ventilation assessment (AVA) of Hong Kong. Build Environ 44:1478–1488

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng CY (2010) Microclimate in public housing: an environmental approach to community development. In: Ng E (ed) Designing high-density cities for social and environmental sustainability. Earthscan, London; Sterling, VA, pp 309–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Ng E (2012) Towards planning and practical understanding of the need for meteorological and climatic information in the design of high-density cities: a case-based study of Hong Kong. Int J Climatol 32:582–598

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oke TR (1981) Canyon geometry and the nocturnal urban heat island: comparison of scale model and field observations. Int J Climatol 1:237–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oke TR (1987) The boundary layer climates, 2nd edn. Methuen, London and New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Oke TR (1988) Street design and urban canopy layer climate. Energy Build 11:103–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oke TR, Johnson GT, Steyn DG, Watson ID (1991) Simulation of surface urban heat islands under “ideal” conditions at night Part 2: diagnosis of causation. Bound-Layer Meteorol 56:339–358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olgyay V (1963) Design with climate: bioclimatic approach to architectural regionalism. Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Ong BL (2003) Green plot ratio: an ecological measure for architecture and urban planning. Landscape Urban Plan 63:197–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Planning Department Hong Kong SAR (2009) Urban climatic map and standards for wind environment—feasibility study—final report. Department of Architecture CUHK, Hong Kong

    Google Scholar 

  • Quah AKL, Roth M (2012) Diurnal and weekly variation of anthropogenic heat emissions in a tropical city, Singapore. Atmos Environ 46:92–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ratti C, Richens P (2004) Raster analysis of urban form. Environ Plan 31:297–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Regent Instruments Inc. (2004) WinSCANOPY 2004a for hemispherical image analysis

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson D (2006) Urban morphology and indicators of radiation availability. Sol Energy 80:1643–1648

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saito I, Ishihara O, Katayawa T (1990/1991) Study of the effect of green areas on the thermal environment in an urban area. Energy Build 15–16:493–498

    Google Scholar 

  • Santamouris M (2001) Energy and climate in the urban built environment. James & James, London, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Santamouris M (2007) Heat island research in Europe: the state of the art. In: Santamouris M (ed) Advances in building energy research, vol 1. Earthscan, London, pp 123–150

    Google Scholar 

  • Scurlock JMO, Asner GP, Gower ST (2001) Global leaf area index from field measurements, 1932–2000. Data set. Available on-line [http://www.daac.ornl.gov] from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A.

  • Shanghai Bureau of Planning and Land Resources (2016) Technical guidelines of control detailed planning of Shanghai 2016 edition (上海市控制性详细规划技术准则2016修订版)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shanghai Government (2003) Technical regulations on urban planning and management of shanghai (Land use and building administration) (上海市城市规划管理技术规定(土地使用/建筑管理)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shashua-Bar L, Hoffman M (2000) Vegetation as a climatic component in the design of an urban street: an empirical model for predicting the cooling effect of urban green areas with trees. Energy Build 31:221–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steemers K, Steane MA (eds) (2004) Environmental diversity in architecture. Spon Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart ID, Oke TR, Krayenhoff ES (2013) Evaluation of the ‘local climate zones’ scheme using temperature observations and model simulations. Int J Climatol 33:1–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steyn DG, Hay JE, Watson ID, Johnson GT (1986) The determination of sky view-factors in urban environments using video imagery. J Atmos Oceanic Technol 3

    Google Scholar 

  • Taha H (1997a) Modeling the impacts of large-scale albedo changes on ozone air quality in the South Coast Air Basin. Atmos Environ 31:1667–1676

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taha H (1997b) Urban climates and heat islands: Albedo, evapotranspiration and anthropogenic heat. Energy Build 25:99–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wen C-Y, Juan Y-H, Yang A-S (2017) Enhancement of city breathability with half open spaces in ideal urban street canyons. Build Environ 112:322–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong NH, Chen Y (2009) Tropical urban heat islands: climate, buildings, and greenery. Taylor & Francis, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu C 许 (2016) Research on reasonable residential FAR in the new era: a case study of Shanghai new town (新时期城市适宜的住宅地块容积率研究——以上海的新城为例). Shanghai Urban Planning (上海城市规划), 110–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang F, Chen L (2016) Developing a thermal atlas for climate-responsive urban design based on empirical modeling and urban morphological analysis. Energy Build 111:120–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yim SHL, Fung JCH, Lau AKH, Kot SC (2009) Air ventilation impacts of the wall effect resulting from the alignment of high-rise buildings. Atmos Environ 43:4982–4994

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan C, Ng E (2012) Building porosity for better urban ventilation in high-density cities—a computational parametric study. Build Environ 50:176–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 聂梅生, 秦佑国 & 江亿 (2003) 中国生态住宅技术评估手册, 北京, 建筑工业出版社

    Google Scholar 

  • 顾竹屹, 赵民 & 张捷 (2014) Exploring the Chinese New Town development: a review and outlook of New Town development in Shanghai (探索“新城”的中国化之路——上海市郊新城规划建设的回溯与展望). Urban Planning Forum (城市规划学刊), 28–36

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

    Feng Yang

  2. School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Liang Chen

Authors
  1. Feng Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Liang Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Feng Yang .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Yang, F., Chen, L. (2020). Asian High-Rise Urbanism. In: High-Rise Urban Form and Microclimate. The Urban Book Series. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1714-3_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation