Overview:

Summary: Varying heights among adjacent buildings can improve ventilation and provide shading. Buildings designed around a central courtyard can also create an internal shaded area.

Implementation: Include in design guidelines. Applicable to high-density downtown areas because adjusting building height and shape will maximize ventilation and allow heat and pollutants to dissipate

Considerations for Use: This is most applicable to new developments, but can also be used for redevelopment and infill in existing, highly dense areas.

• Policy Levers: The mechanism municipalities can use to actualize the intervention. These policy levers will likely be used in combination with each other.
  
  
  MandateMandates are government regulations that require stakeholders to meet standards through building codes, ordinances, zoning policies, or other regulatory tools.
• Trigger Points: Opportunities for municipalities to implement risk reduction and preparedness interventions based on the policy lever, building on the United Nations Environment Programme triggers used in the Beating the Heat handbook (2021).
  
  
  City planning processesIncludes city initiatives such as the development of climate action plan, pathway to zero-energy, master plan, transit plan, energy mapping etc.
  Introducing new or updated zoning/codesIncludes codes, zoning requirements or by-laws pertaining to urban planning and building construction activity.
• Intervention Type:
  Buildings and Built Form
• Sectors:
  Buildings

Impact:

• Target Beneficiaries:
  Property owners
• Phase of Impact:
  Risk reduction and mitigation
• Metrics:
  Energy savings

Case Studies:

• Skysong in Scottsdale, AZ (UNEP, Pg 40)
• Cooling Singapore (UNEP, Pg 74)

Implementation:

• Intervention Scale:
  Building
• Authority and Governance:
  City government
• Implementation Timeline:
  Short-term (1-2 Years)
• Implementation Stakeholders:
  City government, Property owners and managers
• Funding Sources:
  private investment
• Capacity to Act:
  High, Medium

Benefits:

• Cost-Benefit:
  Low
• Public Good:
  N/A
• GHG Reduction:
  N/A
• Co-benefits (Climate/Environmental):
  N/A
• Co-benefits (Social):
  Save on utilities