Resilience Through Form : A case study of Metro Boston, Exploring the Relationship of Urban Form & Extreme Heat

Abstract: The severity of extreme heat events paired with the urban heat island effect cannot be overstated, as the impacts are substantial and widespread, affecting peak energy demands, transport systems, air and water quality, and most notably causing heat-related illnesses and death. These consequences make evident the importance of reducing heat in urban areas and ensuring that urban populations are safe during extreme heat events. In order to both reduce the urban heat island effect and prepare cities for a hotter future, it is critical to building our understanding of the cities at risk and the relationship between heat and the urban environment. This thesis applies urban morphology theory and remote sensing techniques to explore how urban typologies in Metro Boston perform during an extreme heat event. Included within the thesis is a literature review exploring urban heat methodologies and urban morphology, a desktop review examining a set of cities’ climate action reports, and a remote sensing-based analysis to determine the feasibility of uniting land surface temperature and public weather station data. The desktop review of cities determined that while each city has begun to implement numerous socially driven initiatives and large-scale green infrastructure plans, there is little work incorporating urban form within these strategies. Additionally, while the land surface temperature and weather station maps from the remote sensing analysis were deemed insufficient, several valuable questions and findings arose through the process. The case study analysis of Metro Boston identified three predominant urban forms in the study area and 12 sites were studied in relation to their heat performance in the morning, afternoon, and evening. The heat maps applied were developed through Heat Watch Report, a collaboration between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the municipalities of Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge, and CAPA Strategies. The analysis revealed there is a universal change in temperature among all forms throughout the day, with peak temperatures occurring in the late afternoon period. The study also concluded that while temperature between forms was not significant, variation between sites of the same form was observed, with internal vegetation composition (NDVI) and neighboring landcover and urban form becoming key factors in increasing or reducing experienced heat.