Interview: Prof Edward Ng on urban climatology and sustainable architecture

Summary

The speaker discusses the challenges of urban planning in both developed and developing countries, emphasizing the need for clean, comfortable, and sustainable cities. With a background in urban climatology, they explain how scientific understanding of climate and urban environments has been translated into practical policies through tools like climate maps. The speaker highlights the importance of collaboration across different scales—from global to local—and balancing development with sustainability. They stress the need for continuous updates to policies and tools to address evolving urban needs, climate change, and shifting societal expectations.

Takeaways

• 😀 Cities in developing and developed countries face different urban challenges: providing clean, healthy, and comfortable spaces for the former, and balancing enjoyment and functionality for the latter.
• 😀 Climate change, aging societies, and evolving urban needs are increasingly intensifying urban challenges across the globe.
• 😀 The speaker has over 20 years of experience in urban climatology, focusing on the interaction between atmospheric heat, moisture, and the built environment.
• 😀 Scientific data, especially related to urban climatology, needs to be translated into actionable policy tools for urban planners and policymakers to use effectively.
• 😀 Climatic maps were developed in Hong Kong to present complex climate data in an accessible format for urban planners, enabling quick decision-making.
• 😀 Effective communication between scientists and policymakers is essential, and tools like climatic maps help bridge the gap between technical scientific data and practical urban planning needs.
• 😀 Maps are designed to evolve dynamically, allowing urban planners to update them as new scientific data or urban development changes emerge.
• 😀 Collaboration across multiple scales—global, regional, city, neighborhood, and human—is essential for addressing urban climate challenges holistically.
• 😀 Urban design should prioritize the human scale, considering the behavior, aspirations, and needs of people living in cities, and encourage communication across different stakeholder levels.
• 😀 In Hong Kong, there has been a historical emphasis on development, sometimes neglecting the need for sustainable, people-friendly urban spaces; the maps aim to correct this imbalance.
• 😀 The approach of using climatic maps for urban planning is gaining traction in other cities, including those in China and Macau, as urbanization accelerates and cities face new climate and development challenges.

Q & A

What are the main challenges faced by developing countries in urban planning?

Developing countries face challenges in providing clean, comfortable, and healthy cities where activities can continue. The focus is often on infrastructure and basic urban services, which can be difficult to provide due to limited resources.

How do the urban challenges differ between developed and developing countries?

In developed countries, the challenge is to balance development with sustainability, ensuring that people enjoy a high quality of life. In contrast, developing countries are more focused on providing the basic infrastructure needed to support a growing urban population.

What is the primary focus of the speaker’s research in urban climatology?

The speaker's research focuses on understanding the interaction between the heat energy of the atmosphere, moisture content in the air and soil, and how the urban environment (buildings, city morphology) affects air circulation and urban climate.

How do climatic maps help urban planners and policymakers?

Climatic maps translate scientific data into practical insights that urban planners and policymakers can use. These maps help identify areas for development, suggest mitigation strategies like adding greenery, and inform decisions on how to manage the urban environment for better quality of life.

What are the challenges in translating scientific research into policy recommendations?

Scientists and policymakers often have different languages and priorities. Scientists use technical terms and equations, while policymakers focus on practical, actionable decisions. Bridging this gap requires developing shared vocabularies and communication tools to make scientific knowledge accessible and useful for policy.

Why is it important to develop climatic maps for urban planning?

Climatic maps help planners quickly understand environmental conditions in different areas of a city, such as heat zones and air circulation patterns. This allows for informed decisions on where to build, how to mitigate environmental issues, and how to create more sustainable and comfortable urban environments.

How does the speaker suggest addressing urban challenges at different scales?

The speaker advocates for addressing urban challenges at multiple scales, from global (intergovernmental cooperation) to regional (government policy) and local (neighborhood and street-level planning). Each scale requires different tools and strategies, but effective urban planning must involve collaboration and communication between all levels.

What is the role of stakeholders at different scales in urban planning?

Stakeholders at each scale—global, regional, city, and human—have a unique role to play. Global collaboration helps address broad issues like climate change, while local stakeholders (planners, developers, residents) focus on more immediate, site-specific needs. Successful urban planning requires communication and mutual respect between these different groups.

How does the speaker view the evolving aspirations of urban residents?

The speaker emphasizes that the aspirations of urban residents change over time. What people wanted from their cities ten years ago is very different from what younger generations expect today. Urban planning must adapt to these evolving needs, which requires continuous updates to scientific data, maps, and policies.

How do climatic maps address the challenges posed by climate change and urbanization?

Climatic maps help cities cope with climate change by providing data on environmental conditions that impact human well-being, such as heat zones and air circulation. These maps inform policy decisions to mitigate the effects of urban heat islands, poor air quality, and other environmental issues while supporting sustainable urban growth.