Research and Implementation of Heat Countermeasure Strategies in Downtown Area of Kobe City

The authors, in collaboration with Kobe City, have been continuously conducting feasibility studies on the introduction of heat countermeasure technologies such as water sprinkling, misting, sunshades, and water tables in areas such as station plazas, bus stops, and urban streets. This presentation reviews the history of these efforts and discusses how to identify areas where heat mitigation measures should be prioritized, how to predict the effectiveness of such measures, and how to verify the implementation results. As a specific example, Kobe City renewed two parks in the downtown area with consideration for heat countermeasures. Sunshades, water basins, misting, cool benches, grass, trees, gardens, etc. were installed. We conducted measurements to evaluate the thermal environment improvement by each technology and also captured infrared images of the entire park by using a drone. We are also discussing with Kobe city officials how to disclose the results of the effectiveness verification to the public. We also verified the effectiveness of the misting system in the plaza in front of the station, bus stops, parks, etc. Unfortunately, the system was not effective when the wind was strong. Therefore, we have developed a system to evaluate the feasibility of mist installation based on the reproduction of wind environment by CFD.