Mapping the urban climate to address summer comfort management in French urban planning documents

Abstract

In France, the integration of climate and energy issues in the spatial planning tools of local authorities is compulsory for cities with more than 20000 inhabitants. Through the example of Toulouse Metropole, the interdisciplinary work here presented make use of the available geographic and climatic data to perform spatial microclimatic diagnostics and its translation into recommendations to address thermal summer comfort. Analysis maps and strategic maps for daytime and night time are presented for thermal and aeraulic analysis taking advantage of available numerical simulations at 250x250 m, one year of duration and local weather type classifications. A three years long collaboration with the local authority and the urban agency allowed the co-construction of the cartographic protocol and the publication of an Atlas as well as a set of guidelines. Collaboration with a network of French cartographers allowed original propositions on graphic semiology as visual organization, the choice of urban and geographical information to be combined with the climatic information or a proposition of a new UTCI colorimetric spectrum.

Keywords

• urban heat island
• applied cartography
• territorial planning
• climate visualization
• urban climatic maps