Ling Qi

The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, combined with the historic degradation of urban water systems, has prompted cities worldwide to reconsider the role of water in urban planning. This study examines the restoration and integration of historical watercourses into contemporary urban environments through blue and green infrastructure (BGI). Focusing on three case study cities—Poznań (Poland), Milan (Italy), and Beijing (China)—this research explores both spatial and regulatory conditions for reintroducing surface water into cityscapes. Utilizing historical maps, contemporary land use data, and spatial planning documents, this study applies a GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA) to assess restoration potential. The selected case studies, including the redesign of Park Rataje in Poznań, canal daylighting projects in Milan, and the multifunctional design of Beijing’s Olympic Forest Park, illustrate diverse approaches to ecological revitalization. The findings emphasize that restoring or recreating urban water systems can enhance urban resilience, ecological connectivity, and the quality of public space.

Global warming and urban heat island effects negatively impact the development of urban thermal environments, making them very uncomfortable to live in. Green space plays an essential role in controlling and improving air pollution, regulating the microclimate, and enforcing compliance with public health requirements. Therefore, this study explored the relationship between green space and thermal comfort in the historical neighborhood of Dazhalan in Beijing through questionnaires, observational interviews, and numerical simulations. The current situation of the microclimate environment in the green space of the block was observed first. Then, the microclimate environment was simulated by the ENVI-met 5.6 software. The thermal comfort of the three types of space, such as enclosed space, strip space, and corner space, was also evaluated to explore the coupling relationship between different green space elements and microclimate evaluation factors. It was found that the thermal comfort PET had a positive correlation with the sky openness SVF. The green space morphology was quantitatively measured, and it was found that the thermal comfort PET had a negative correlation with the three-dimensional green quantity of green space. The paper developed managing strategies for optimizing the layout and construction mode of the green space. The ultimate goal was to rationally match the greening planting, improve the pavement of the underlying surface of the block, and optimize the design of the internal space topography.

This article discusses the impact of urban layout on the energy performance of residential buildings. A comparative analysis of multiple variants of land development differing in building layout only, with all other features being the same, including the building envelope properties and technical equipment, was carried out. The research was conducted in two selected locations in Poznań metropolitan area (Poland), which is located in the Dfb climate zone (humid continental—warm summer subtype). For each location, the following variants of building layout were considered: parallel buildings (12 variants with an orientation towards the sides of the world rotated in steps of 15 degrees), perimeter frontage buildings, and comb-shaped buildings with semi-open courtyards (4 variants with courtyards open to each side of the world). The calculation of annual end uses for heating and cooling was conducted as well as the peak values. All calculations were performed using OpenStudio Application Release v. 1.2.1 software with the SketchUp plugin. The results showed that the proper arrangement of buildings on the urban plot may result in significant energy savings. The considered variants differed in terms of annual end uses for heating and cooling even by approx. 15%, and the peak values on the hottest days were 4–10 times lower in comparison with the least advantageous variants. The results show the slight advantage of compact development over free-standing development in terms of total end uses as well as the south and north orientation of facades over the east and west in terms of peak solar heat gain values.

The paper used technical parameters to investigate optimized solutions to protect the ecological environment and improve the microclimate adaptability among the traditional villages in Beijing. Shuiyu Village was used as a case study to analyze the coupling relationship between landscape patterns and the microclimate of traditional villages, with a focus on the ecological relationship between residents and the microclimate. This study also developed a climate index system, which includes computer numerical simulation and microclimate comprehensive analysis methods. The distinct types of landscape patterns were studied using the system. In addition, this paper studied the adaptive design mechanism in-depth, the form parameters of comfort evaluation controllability, and map expression technology of morphological parameters. The findings of this study include the optimized value of the environment based on landscape pattern and the map through the Rhino modeling platform. An interactive platform was developed, and a parametric-assisted optimization design process for traditional villages in the northern part of China was proposed. Moreover, this study concluded optimized strategies and technical guidelines for future planning of the rural areas in northern China with a goal to protect traditional villages and transform them into smart villages with microclimate adaptability.