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Technology sector
Carbon fixation and abatement
Early warning and Environmental assessment
Renewable energy
Energy efficiency
Forestry
Infrastructure and Urban planning
Transport
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Problem
Creating cooler communities has become a priority for governments, driven primarily by new targets to reduce carbon emissions in response to climate change and mitigate its impact on urban infrastructure (mainly water and energy) and air quality. Various studies have identified that urban overheating, exacerbated by the increase in extreme heat events (heat waves), primarily affects the health of the most vulnerable populations and the overall quality of life of residents, increasing pressure on urban infrastructure and the healthcare system, and hindering economic development. Heat in public spaces discourages their habitability, and heat stress reduces the performance of people who carry out their activities in urban centers, negatively impacting the normal development of social interactions and contributing to the abandonment of urban centers.
Solution
To impact the territory and facilitate the incorporation of guidelines and strategies for the city's climate management with a view to sustainable development, it is necessary to analyze the evolution of temperatures in the Mendoza Metropolitan Area (AMM) and their relationship to climate characteristics and urbanization. Based on this analysis, it will be possible to develop tools to predict the spatio-temporal evolution of temperatures in the AMM associated with different climate change scenarios and urbanization options. This will enable the generation of conceptual and instrumental knowledge to identify critical areas for rehabilitation and to determine, according to different urban growth options and climate change scenarios, which urban overheating adaptation and mitigation strategies offer the greatest benefits associated with their implementation.
Performance and impacts
Performance:
▪ Diagnose and represent the spatiotemporal evolution of surface temperature in the city of Mendoza (LST) and establish its correlation with urban air temperatures.
▪ Evaluate and model the relationship between the temperature distribution in the city and the variables that represent the local climate profile and the characteristics of its urbanization—form, technology, and vegetation.
▪ Develop a predictive model that allows for inferring temperature evolution in different sectors of the Mendoza Metropolitan Area (AMM) under different urbanization and climate change scenarios.
▪ Evaluate the contribution of anthropogenic heat due to transportation in different representative sectors of the AMM.
▪ Identify critical areas and create risk maps that link the city's thermal condition with different vulnerability indicators—social, urban, and geographic—and the heat contributed by transportation.
▪ Propose mitigation and adaptation strategies for the rehabilitation of critical areas and categorize them according to their ability to cool the city, increase the energy efficiency of the building stock, and utilize renewable energy.
▪ Economically value the benefits of the strategies identified as most efficient and translate them into metrics, indicators, and parameters that can be incorporated into building codes.
▪ Transfer the project results to public and private organizations responsible for habitat production, enabling the efficient implementation of strategies aimed at improving the quality of the urban-built environment, and disseminate the project results through publications in indexed scientific journals and proceedings of leading conferences in the field.
▪ Consolidate the research line within the EU and strengthen its outreach and knowledge transfer capabilities.
▪ To enable the training of human resources in the lines of work that comprise the project, incorporating five (5) CONICET fellows (two doctoral fellows and three postdoctoral fellows); and to promote the entry of young researchers into the EU.
▪ To strengthen the EU's instrumental capacities through the expansion and updating of available equipment.
Impacts:
The city of Mendoza, considered a case study, is the fourth largest in Argentina in terms of population and economy. Located in the west-central part of the country, it is characterized by a high aridity index and forms part of the Argentine arid diagonal. It has limited water availability, abundant sunshine throughout the year, and a high percentage of clear days. The city features an open urban model whose thermal habitability, energy sustainability, and environmental sustainability depend heavily on the presence of urban trees. At a microclimatic scale, its aridity, high sunshine duration, and low frequency and intensity of winds and precipitation, combined with a positive temperature anomaly at higher altitudes and frequent temperature inversions, create optimal conditions for the formation of an urban heat island. In the city, this phenomenon reaches maximums of 10°C and averages of 6°C in both winter and summer. This results in an approximately 20% increase in the cooling needs of the metropolitan area based on 24°C and deteriorates comfort conditions in the city's open spaces up to 82% of people experience some degree of heat discomfort during the summer months.
On a global scale, various climate simulations estimated from General Circulation Models (GCMs) indicate significant warming for the Western Argentine region. Temperatures will continue to rise throughout the 21st century, with greater increases in summer than in winter. Regional simulations for the provinces of San Juan and Mendoza indicate increases of around 3°C during the summer months by the end of the 21st century. Consequently, the predicted effects of climate change for the region include higher daytime and nighttime temperatures and reduced water availability. Global climate vulnerabilities will intensify heat waves and drought in the region and exacerbate the urban heat island effect. The aforementioned points underscore the relevance of the proposed research and the impact of this knowledge on climate-responsible urban management.
Regarding the socio-economic and productive sector: The project aims to contribute to the thermal remediation of the city and the development of predictive models under different temporal and spatial growth scenarios. This will determine the possibilities for energy and environmental rehabilitation of urban areas located in arid contexts. The ultimate goal is to mitigate the impacts of rising urban temperatures and the environmental degradation of the built environment. From a social perspective, these benefits will not only contribute to improving the quality of life but also the economy of its inhabitants, due to the improved hygrothermal conditions of urban and built spaces and the consequent reduction in energy consumption to achieve comfortable conditions in both interior and exterior spaces. Research in a thematic area, currently lacking at the local and regional levels, and the collaboration between the scientific-technological and productive sectors will generate impacts that will allow for feedback on knowledge production in the scientific-technological field and generate resources to be channeled into the development of new lines of work.
Regarding institutional capacities: The project proposes to develop interdisciplinary research at the local and regional levels, strengthening efforts through the cooperation of trained and developing human resources, and integrating knowledge from diverse disciplines in order to contribute to the quality of the urban and built environment.
The execution of this project will, in general terms, enable: a) The continuation of the interdisciplinary production of scientific and technological knowledge resulting from research activities in the areas of energy transition and poverty, physics, agronomy, urban planning, architecture, design, and technology; b) The acquisition of equipment that will allow the UID to expand its scope beyond its current limitations; c) The provision of services to public institutions at the municipal, provincial, and national levels, as well as to intermediary organizations and private institutions; and d) The strengthening of the thematic and academic ties among the members of the lead and collaborating research group, as well as the exchange of knowledge and networks with other research groups in the country, ensuring the completion of doctoral theses and ongoing postdoctoral projects.
Regarding the disciplinary areas or fields of application: This project aims to capitalize on the results of research generated at the UID by exploring a new approach to the thermal remediation of cities and the development of predictive models under different temporal and spatial growth scenarios in arid zones from a holistic perspective. This will allow designers, planners, and those responsible for habitat production to make macro-scale decisions regarding the energy and environmental rehabilitation of consolidated urban areas. While the international scientific community has made progress in this area over the last decade to achieve the main sustainable development goals, knowledge development has been primarily focused on countries in the Northern Hemisphere whose climatic and technological contexts differ substantially from the case study proposed for this research: the Metropolitan Area of Mendoza. The city is situated within a heterogeneous natural environment characterized by aridity, limited water and soil resources, biodiversity loss, natural hazards, and desertification. These factors generate challenges that have not yet been explored, from a scientific-technological perspective, that contribute to achieving sustainable urban development in the short and medium term.
▪ Diagnose and represent the spatiotemporal evolution of surface temperature in the city of Mendoza (LST) and establish its correlation with urban air temperatures.
▪ Evaluate and model the relationship between the temperature distribution in the city and the variables that represent the local climate profile and the characteristics of its urbanization—form, technology, and vegetation.
▪ Develop a predictive model that allows for inferring temperature evolution in different sectors of the Mendoza Metropolitan Area (AMM) under different urbanization and climate change scenarios.
▪ Evaluate the contribution of anthropogenic heat due to transportation in different representative sectors of the AMM.
▪ Identify critical areas and create risk maps that link the city's thermal condition with different vulnerability indicators—social, urban, and geographic—and the heat contributed by transportation.
▪ Propose mitigation and adaptation strategies for the rehabilitation of critical areas and categorize them according to their ability to cool the city, increase the energy efficiency of the building stock, and utilize renewable energy.
▪ Economically value the benefits of the strategies identified as most efficient and translate them into metrics, indicators, and parameters that can be incorporated into building codes.
▪ Transfer the project results to public and private organizations responsible for habitat production, enabling the efficient implementation of strategies aimed at improving the quality of the urban-built environment, and disseminate the project results through publications in indexed scientific journals and proceedings of leading conferences in the field.
▪ Consolidate the research line within the EU and strengthen its outreach and knowledge transfer capabilities.
▪ To enable the training of human resources in the lines of work that comprise the project, incorporating five (5) CONICET fellows (two doctoral fellows and three postdoctoral fellows); and to promote the entry of young researchers into the EU.
▪ To strengthen the EU's instrumental capacities through the expansion and updating of available equipment.
Impacts:
The city of Mendoza, considered a case study, is the fourth largest in Argentina in terms of population and economy. Located in the west-central part of the country, it is characterized by a high aridity index and forms part of the Argentine arid diagonal. It has limited water availability, abundant sunshine throughout the year, and a high percentage of clear days. The city features an open urban model whose thermal habitability, energy sustainability, and environmental sustainability depend heavily on the presence of urban trees. At a microclimatic scale, its aridity, high sunshine duration, and low frequency and intensity of winds and precipitation, combined with a positive temperature anomaly at higher altitudes and frequent temperature inversions, create optimal conditions for the formation of an urban heat island. In the city, this phenomenon reaches maximums of 10°C and averages of 6°C in both winter and summer. This results in an approximately 20% increase in the cooling needs of the metropolitan area based on 24°C and deteriorates comfort conditions in the city's open spaces up to 82% of people experience some degree of heat discomfort during the summer months.
On a global scale, various climate simulations estimated from General Circulation Models (GCMs) indicate significant warming for the Western Argentine region. Temperatures will continue to rise throughout the 21st century, with greater increases in summer than in winter. Regional simulations for the provinces of San Juan and Mendoza indicate increases of around 3°C during the summer months by the end of the 21st century. Consequently, the predicted effects of climate change for the region include higher daytime and nighttime temperatures and reduced water availability. Global climate vulnerabilities will intensify heat waves and drought in the region and exacerbate the urban heat island effect. The aforementioned points underscore the relevance of the proposed research and the impact of this knowledge on climate-responsible urban management.
Regarding the socio-economic and productive sector: The project aims to contribute to the thermal remediation of the city and the development of predictive models under different temporal and spatial growth scenarios. This will determine the possibilities for energy and environmental rehabilitation of urban areas located in arid contexts. The ultimate goal is to mitigate the impacts of rising urban temperatures and the environmental degradation of the built environment. From a social perspective, these benefits will not only contribute to improving the quality of life but also the economy of its inhabitants, due to the improved hygrothermal conditions of urban and built spaces and the consequent reduction in energy consumption to achieve comfortable conditions in both interior and exterior spaces. Research in a thematic area, currently lacking at the local and regional levels, and the collaboration between the scientific-technological and productive sectors will generate impacts that will allow for feedback on knowledge production in the scientific-technological field and generate resources to be channeled into the development of new lines of work.
Regarding institutional capacities: The project proposes to develop interdisciplinary research at the local and regional levels, strengthening efforts through the cooperation of trained and developing human resources, and integrating knowledge from diverse disciplines in order to contribute to the quality of the urban and built environment.
The execution of this project will, in general terms, enable: a) The continuation of the interdisciplinary production of scientific and technological knowledge resulting from research activities in the areas of energy transition and poverty, physics, agronomy, urban planning, architecture, design, and technology; b) The acquisition of equipment that will allow the UID to expand its scope beyond its current limitations; c) The provision of services to public institutions at the municipal, provincial, and national levels, as well as to intermediary organizations and private institutions; and d) The strengthening of the thematic and academic ties among the members of the lead and collaborating research group, as well as the exchange of knowledge and networks with other research groups in the country, ensuring the completion of doctoral theses and ongoing postdoctoral projects.
Regarding the disciplinary areas or fields of application: This project aims to capitalize on the results of research generated at the UID by exploring a new approach to the thermal remediation of cities and the development of predictive models under different temporal and spatial growth scenarios in arid zones from a holistic perspective. This will allow designers, planners, and those responsible for habitat production to make macro-scale decisions regarding the energy and environmental rehabilitation of consolidated urban areas. While the international scientific community has made progress in this area over the last decade to achieve the main sustainable development goals, knowledge development has been primarily focused on countries in the Northern Hemisphere whose climatic and technological contexts differ substantially from the case study proposed for this research: the Metropolitan Area of Mendoza. The city is situated within a heterogeneous natural environment characterized by aridity, limited water and soil resources, biodiversity loss, natural hazards, and desertification. These factors generate challenges that have not yet been explored, from a scientific-technological perspective, that contribute to achieving sustainable urban development in the short and medium term.
Other data of interest
The Institute for Environment, Habitat, and Energy (INAHE) is an executive unit of CONICET whose activities integrate scientific research, technological design and development, transfer and services, as well as teaching and dissemination of knowledge on various aspects of habitat in the context of climate-based energy and environmental sustainability. INAHE's work is primarily focused on creating new knowledge aimed at transfer to the socio-productive environment. Its multi- and interdisciplinary nature makes INAHE a benchmark in research and applications of habitat designs and technologies with a focus on the conservation of conventional energies and the selective use of solar energy, promoting sustainability in sunny climates and responding to the local, national, and international context.
INAHE is now a thematic institutional unit that aims to optimize the work of the different disciplines that currently comprise it and, in particular, to enhance its visibility and regional, national, and international projection, built up over 40 years of research in habitat, environmental sciences, and sustainability. The institute has 40 agents, https://inahe.conicet.gov.ar/, and is structured around four lines of research. Specifically, the team working on the Sustainable Urbanism line, a group that generates and transfers knowledge on urban issues as a way to address the main challenges related to environmental degradation and climate change. This line of development aims to contribute to the energy and environmental sustainability of urban and building spaces by generating strategies and effective intervention tools consistent with the SDGs. Within this framework, the line of research produces knowledge and transfers solutions to the socio-productive environment around the interrelation of three thematic areas: bioclimatology, design, and green infrastructure.
INAHE is now a thematic institutional unit that aims to optimize the work of the different disciplines that currently comprise it and, in particular, to enhance its visibility and regional, national, and international projection, built up over 40 years of research in habitat, environmental sciences, and sustainability. The institute has 40 agents, https://inahe.conicet.gov.ar/, and is structured around four lines of research. Specifically, the team working on the Sustainable Urbanism line, a group that generates and transfers knowledge on urban issues as a way to address the main challenges related to environmental degradation and climate change. This line of development aims to contribute to the energy and environmental sustainability of urban and building spaces by generating strategies and effective intervention tools consistent with the SDGs. Within this framework, the line of research produces knowledge and transfers solutions to the socio-productive environment around the interrelation of three thematic areas: bioclimatology, design, and green infrastructure.