Climate Smart Fortaleza

Abstract: With the urban population growing exponentially the challenges associated with urban development are numerous. The urban heat island effect, rising energy demands and floods are only a few of the problems that large cities face today. With climate change it is becoming urgent to build climate smart cities. The objective of this research project is to identify how the design of a city, based on the height-to-width ratio of buildings and streets (referred to as aspect ratio), street orientation and vegetation, can improve thermal comfort and reduce energy demands. The project also investigates if a 10-year rainfall can be retained through the use of floodplains.