Building a climate-proof future
This article was originally published on 28th June on JCU’s Brighter website.
As climate change continues to wreak its path through tropical communities, architects and urban planners are combatting the potentially disastrous effects with innovative design solutions.
Dr. Silvia Tavares “designs cities with an eye on the climate”. A leading urban designer and senior lecturer at James Cook University, Dr. Tavares has a passion for creating places that foster connection and wellbeing, while being sustainable for the future. Read more…
City temperatures and city economics, a hidden relationship between sun and wind and profits
Silvia Tavares, James Cook University and Taha Chaiechi, James Cook University
Urban design undoubtedly influences the urban economy. A simple thing like designing an area to make it more walkable can boost local business profits. This can also increase real estate value, create more and better jobs and generate stronger local economies.
Street temperatures also determine their walkability. With climate change bringing longer and more frequent heatwaves, street temperatures will become even higher than at present. This will reduce walkability and, in turn, local business profitability. Read more…
The city and the wild: Design meets ecosystems
This Wednesday I will present a seminar on the relationships between cities and natural ecosystems, and how they can coexist. Join us in the Cairns Institute if you are in Cairns. Read more…
Public Microclimates
I have recently published a book chapter entitled ‘Public Microclimates: Thermal Outdoor Expectations in Post-Earthquake Christchurch (New Zealand)’, in the book ‘The Urban Microclimate as Artifact: Towards an Architectural Theory of Thermal Diversity’ by Sascha Roesler and Madlen Kobi. Read more…
Presentation at the IPWEAQ 2018 Conference
A few weeks ago, on the 19th April, I presented a 3-part project I have been working on at the IPWEAQ 2018 Conference (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia North Queensland Branch), here in Cairns. Read more…
Climate in the city
Facebook has reminded me today that four years ago I updated my ‘research page’* on this website, where I wrote about the seed for my PhD thesis. That seed was my wanderings through different climate zones and my fascination about the ways climate shapes people’s lives, although most of the time people don’t think about it. Read more…
Built for comfort: Exploring how microclimates impact the economy
What’s your favourite local hotspot? Chances are you didn’t take any notice of the microclimate — you just knew that it felt good to be there. Examining what makes us feel comfortable in urban spaces could be the key to building more sustainable and vibrant spaces. Read more…
News: PhD Thesis available
In the past four years I have been talking to many different people and in many different places about the research I was doing, the questions I was pursuing, the fieldwork, the challenges… So many things. Read more…
Four seasons in one day: creating a liveable city through microclimate design
This article (without the images) was originally published at the Lincoln University news website.
Comfortable, pleasant and lively city streets attract people, and people mean better business. If the rebuilt Central City is to attract people, then architects and urban designers must consider how to make the streets and spaces not only ‘pedestrian-friendly’ but also ‘microclimate-friendly’. Read more…
Interpretive methods for urban comfort and microclimate research
The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Annual Meeting happened last month in Baltimore (MD, USA). Read more…
