Thursday
Oct112012

Cool Streets

Martin Croucher, writing for The National, on the cooling effect of historic districts:

It is one of the oldest areas of Dubai, but Bastakiya may yet yield fresh lessons for modern urban developers.

The shaded, narrow streets of the district are several degrees cooler than average temperatures elsewhere in the city, a study published online last month by the Renewable Energy journal said.

Dr Bassam Abu-Hijleh, a report co-author and dean of the engineering department at the British University of Dubai, said the design of Bastakiya was in many ways superior to modern grid-based housing developments.

Interesting, but it seems unclear whether the cooler temperatures are due to the narrower streets, organic layout, or a combination. I’d bet that the narrower streets with less pavement and more comprehensive shade from buildings are a more important factor than the organic layout.

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