Urban (re)development means balancing competing demands within limited space. As the climate changes, heat extremes increase in frequency, duration, and intensity, and cities face a growing need for adaptation. That need competes with densification, housing, mobility, and other pressures, all claiming the same scarce urban land. At the same time, cities are expanding and densifying, which increases the impact further.
Locally applicable, quantitative tools address this gap. Microclimate modelling maps both heat stress severity and the cooling potential of green-blue infrastructure, integrating climate adaptation more effectively into design, planning, and policy.
Siebe Puynen presents his work with ENVI-met across a range of urban redevelopment projects, tracing the modelling workflow from policy and vision through planning, design, and implementation. A central theme is the challenge of bridging the gap between scientific insight and practical application, and how to close that gap. The session also covers microclimate measurements and how to use them alongside model results.