A MICROCLIMATE STUDY OF URBAN NEIGHBOURHOOD PARKS IN GURUGRAM

Abstract

Green spaces are considered important natural and human centric spaces in a city. They are considered essential to allow the proper functioning of the natural ecosystem in an urban environment. They are not only necessary from a human functionality standpoint but also to provide brief breathing spaces for both man and nature. Urbanization is a necessary evil which is born due to the humankind’s natural affinity towards creating greater economic cities, but this necessary evil has more vices than virtues to count as this global phenomenon has been one of the root causes of the overall global warming and climate change. This in turn leads to a large amount of devastating issues like natural disasters and shortage of resources. The study aims to find out the thermal impact of a neighbourhood park upon its residential surroundings. The city chosen for such a study had to be one which has seen an unprecedented growth through urbanization as the need of green spaces is higher. This dissertation begins with the identification of the problem through some background study which is instrumental in the formation of certain aims and objectives. A methodological framework is decided to plan out the overall study with the aim and objectives kept in mind. A review of literature is carried out to understand the various terms and phenomenon integral to the problem. The first phenomenon to understand was of Urbanization, its trends, problems and the worldwide effort of mitigating its negative impacts around the globe. As the research was to take place in an urban neighbourhood, the specifics of urban climate was mandatory to understand. While gaining the knowledge about the factors dictating the urban climate, another phenomenon regarding the general increase in temperature in urban areas, namely the “Urban Heat Island” was discussed. A brief mention about the definition and classification of a typical urban green spaces is also mentioned. To mitigate the problem of the Urban Heat Island effect in general, a new solution is introduced which requires an interconnected network of green spaces as nodes. This is termed as Green Infrastructure (GI), its various benefits, approaches and core principles of design are elaborated upon. Due to its multi-faceted benefits, the scope of the study only allowed detailed research upon its positive impact in the area of climatic modification, human health and well-being. Lastly, and most importantly, different tools and techniques for the collection of data and units of measurement was conducted to prepare for the eventual site survey. iv A review of case studies is carried out to understand the practical usage and challenges during the application of certain tools, techniques and methodologies associated with the study. These two reviews bring forward certain key lessons which are employed to create an analysis framework and to generate a few key pre-established observations which would help in reducing the overall scope of the study. The city of Gurugram was selected as the city for study as it has been a famous example of rapid urbanization and population growth. The whole city was divided into municipal wards and the chosen ward was further subdivided into sectors which provide a detailed database to choose three neighbourhood parks as proposed sites for study. An overall layout of green areas across the city is created via NDVI for the selection of the sites for survey. These sites are surveyed multiple times to record on-site climatic data, building typology, building heights and survey points and their characteristics. The dates for the surveys were marked by deciphering the peak stress days during the summer months which fall under the time period of the study. These are then denoted graphically and certain trends are generated and explained. These trends lead to certain strategies and initiatives which can be implemented for the specific study area. Through the various literature studies, design strategies are provided on policy level scale and site scale. The policy level design strategies plans to alleviate and/or manage of the thermal issues in the area on a larger scale. The site scale level design strategies are more guided towards providing more specific design interventions. In the end, a few design proposals are provided to envision these strategies on a practical basis. The study concludes by providing critical learnings on each section of the dissertation which were acquired by amalgamating knowledge and practical surveys. The study also provides a path towards the future scope of study which can be carried out to further enhance the overall understanding of the research topic.