Recommended Mosquito Risk Assessment Criteria for Urban Environment in London, UK – Targeting Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Chenchen Ma and Hector Altamirano

Factors such as climate change and world trade may lead to changes in the range of mosquitoes found in cities. Mosquito-borne diseases are one of the major public health problems worldwide (WHO, 2020). Thus, the risk of mosquitoes appearing in areas where people live is critical. The risk of mosquito have been devised in some countries, but they have mostly focused on assessing water bodies, ignoring the effects of other factors on mosquito survival.

This article presents the design of assessment criteria for urban environments based on three basic conditions for mosquito survival, i.e., saccharides, blood, and habitat. The criteria can be used in the assessment of environments in three general directions. The proposed assessment criteria were used in several sites in London to determine the reasonableness of the criteria and continuously improved.  

Keywords: Urban environment; Mosquito risk assessment criteria.

– Theme: Mosquito and urban environment –

The Digital Twin in Urban Planning and Management: A key asset in addressing the challenges presented by on-going Climate Changes

Pedro Rattes Pascoli and Marcelo de Matos Bezerra

The increasing digitalization across all fields is equally evident in urban planning and management (UPM). Contemporary cities, facing rapid urbanization and the ongoing impacts of climate change, require extensive urban requalification. This process involves managing vast amounts of information, addressing socially sensitive issues, and implementing precise, contextualized, yet robust, and effective physical interventions and policy making. This study examined the potential protagonist role of Digital Twins (DTs) in this “digital” transformation of cities. Through an extensive literature review, today’s UPM challenges were characterized, and a conceptual and technological alignment of a DT was provided. An objective case study of notable examples already in practice suggests that DTs offer invaluable resources, such as intuitive access to accurate, up-to-date information, technological integration, participatory management, and realistic simulations of projects, and what-if scenarios. Therefore, DTs are a key asset for urban development towards Energy Efficiency, Environmental Sustainability, Disaster Management and Urban Resilience.  

Keywords: Urban Digital Twin; Climate Resilience; Participatory Management; Artificial Intelligence. 

– Theme: Urban microclimate –

The impact of regenerative design solutions on indoor temperature and daylight access in a medium-rise residential building in a tropical city—A case study in Jakarta, Indonesia

Muhamad Rendy Abdillah and Anna Mavrogianni

Regenerative design is a new paradigm that goes beyond simply reducing negative impacts. This study explored the impact of regenerative design solutions on indoor thermal and daylight performance in a medium-rise residential building in Jakarta, Indonesia under current and future climate scenarios. Using DesignBuilder simulation, the study assessed passive ventilation, window side fins, light shelves, green roofs, and photovoltaic systems. Results showed significant improvements in thermal comfort, with up to 94% of days meeting ASHRAE-55 standards in the 2020s (A2 scenario). However, by the 2080s (A2 scenario), energy analysis showed that photovoltaic panels could only cover up to 30% of cooling demand for an eight-hour operation. Moreover, the useful daylight illuminance level decreased by up to 61.4% in the 2020s (A2 scenario). The study highlights the potential of positive energy in a free-running building with integrated photovoltaic green roofs and suggests further research on various regenerative design solutions effects.

Keywords: Regenerative design; thermal comfort; daylight; renewable energy.

– Theme: Assessing occupants wellbeing and comfort –