URBAN CLIMATIC MAPPING AS AN TOOL FOR URBAN MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING IN FORTALEZA

Abstract

Because of the urbanization process, the climate of cities develops unique characteristics that interfere with the quality of life of city dwellers. This study aimed to apply Urban Climate Mapping to establish Urban Climate Zones, guiding the planning of the city of Fortaleza, considering the parameters of soil use and coverage (UCMap), the surface temperature of the Earth (Landsat 8) and the wind speed conditions (Global Wind Atlas), integrating this information to establish homogeneous areas. Through the Geographic Information System, we established three urban climate zones (UCZ 1, 2 and 3), where we recommended preserving and improving the environments, implementing some preservation and mitigation measures and implementing mitigating actions, respectively. Based on the interpretation of the characteristics of the zones, the actions consider vegetation, shading, albedo and thermal field. We concluded that urban climate mapping provides urban planners and government authorities with essential data to make decisions that take into account climatic conditions. The methodology proposed for Fortaleza and the presented results show that it is easily possible to reproduce and adjust the mapping to assist in decision-making in different cities.