Publications

Influence of blue-green roofs on surface temperature and indoor temperature on building scale

Blue-green roofs have been utilized and studied for their enhanced water storage capacity compared to conventional roofs or extensive green roofs. Nonetheless, research about the thermal effect of blue-green roofs is ...

Cool Towns Intervention Catalogue

Built environments are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Most European towns and cities have developed horizontally over time but are currently in the process of further densification. ...

What is the thermal effect of 'blue' in blue-green roofs?

Green roofs received increased scientific attention with respect to climate adaptation in urban environments for their hydrological, biodiversity and insulative capacities. Yet, the thermal properties of roofs with ...

Indoor and outdoor heat stress reduction

Within the Resilio project, the Hogeschool van Amsterdam has researched the cooling and insulation effect of blue-green roofs on the indoor temperature.

Distance to cool spots, a practical design guideline for heat resilient urban areas

In the Netherlands municipalities are searching for guidelines for a heat resilient design of the urban space. One of the guidelines which has recently been picked up is that each house should be within a 300 meter ...

Climate resilient urban retrofit at street level

The need to integrate flood and drought disaster risk reduction strategies

Most research on hydrological risks focuses either on flood risk or drought risk, whilst floods and droughts are two extremes of the same hydrological cycle. To better design disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures ...

Simulating Small-Scale Agricultural Adaptation Decisions in Response to Drought Risk: An Empirical Agent-Based Model for Semi-Arid Kenya

In Eastern Africa, increasing climate variability and changing socioeconomic conditions are exacerbating the frequency and intensity of drought disasters. Droughts pose a severe threat to food security in this ...

Simulating Small-Scale Agricultural Adaptation Decisions in Response to Drought Risk: An Empirical Agent-Based Model for Semi-Arid Kenya

In Eastern Africa, increasing climate variability and changing socioeconomic conditions are exacerbating the frequency and intensity of drought disasters. Droughts pose a severe threat to food security in this ...

Are urban water bodies really cooling?

Small urban water bodies, like ponds or canals, are often assumed to cool their surroundings during hot periods, when water bodies remain cooler than air during daytime. However, during the night they may be warmer. ...

Measuring compound flood potential from river discharge and storm surge extremes at the global scale

The interaction between physical drivers from oceanographic, hydrological, and meteorological processes in coastal areas can result in compound flooding. Compound flood events, like Cyclone Idai and Hurricane Harvey, ...

Correction to: Assessment of thermally comfortable urban spaces in Amsterdam during hot summer days

Since it is insufficiently clear to urban planners in the Netherlands to what extent design measures can reduce heat stress and which urban spaces are most comfortable, this study evaluates the impact of shading, ...

Cool Towns Heat Stress Measurement Protocol

Cities are confronted with more frequent heatwaves of increasing intensity discouraging people from using urban open spaces that are part of their daily lives. Climate proofing cities is an incremental process that ...

Planning nature-based solutions for urban flood reduction and thermal comfort enhancement

As a consequence of climate change and urbanization, many cities will have to deal with more flooding and extreme heat stress. This paper presents a framework to maximize the effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions ...

Climate-proof retrofitting of urban areas for the same cost

Due to climate change the frequency of extreme precipitation increases. To reduce the risk of damage by flooding, municipalities will need to retrofit urban areas in a climate-resilient way. To justify this ...

Assessment of thermally comfortable urban spaces in Amsterdam during hot summer days

Since it is insufficiently clear to urban planners in the Netherlands to what extent design measures can reduce heat stress and which urban spaces are most comfortable, this study evaluates the impact of shading, ...

Method for evaluating the heat-island mitigation effect of porous/water-retentive blocks using a climatic chamber

This paper presents a method and mock-up design for evaluating the heat-island mitigation effect of porous/water-retentive blocks in a climatic environmental chamber using ambient temperature measurements.

Cooling Urban Water Environments: Design Prototypes for Design Professionals

This paper presents five design prototypes for cool urban water environments developed in the 'Really cooling water bodies in cities' (REALCOOL) project. The REALCOOL prototypes address an urgent need: urban water ...

High Resolution Decision Maps for Urban Planning: A Combined Analysis of Urban Flooding and Thermal Stress Potential In Asia and Europe

Urban flooding and thermal stress have become key issues for many cities around the world. With the continuing effects of climate change, these two issues will become more acute and will add to the serious problems ...

Storm water flooding Amsterdam, from a quick Scan analyses to an action plan

Dealing with the issue of urban storm water flooding is becoming increasingly urgent. In the Netherlands there are no clear guidelines on the level of acceptance of urban flooding. Based on an accurate DEM, a ...