Uploaded on 2014-10-21 by GeorgiosKokolakis

1 The Acropolis confirms the significant history of the city. 2 There is abundant sunshine for the majority of the year, but it doesn’t seem to be taken advantage of. 3 Lack of water element in the form of lake or river. 4 Randomness is the dominant feature of the urban planning. The road network is not rational; there are not large avenues; the secondary roads are too narrow. 5 Huge building density. City stretches to surrounding mountains’ slopes with buildings averaging 5 storeys. 6 Shortage of green areas. Even the mountains’ slopes are bleak. 7 Indifferent architecture. 8 Non ecological architecture and construction. 9 Air pollution, while existing, rarely reaches levels of concern, mostly due to often northern air streams. a. The high building density in conjunction with: 1) the apparent lack of ecological architecture, prejudice the overburdening of the environment. Concrete as the only construction material does not improve the sustainability. It is obvious that this city needs large amounts of energy to meet the needs of its buildings. 2) the quite random road network, makes the transportation slow and difficult. 3) the shortage of green areas, suggests the peoples’ feelings of asphyxia b. The plentiful sunshine is a potent factor in operating a city. But the city in this picture doesn’t seem to exploit it. Especially in summer the buildings are most likely boiling, emitting energy into the environment in the form of heat. The plentiful sunshine is a potent factor in the operation of the city in this image. The invisible information is the fact that this city seems to be suffering from rather than enjoying the sun. This information becomes knowledge in the sunshine exploitation process which is crucial to improve the sustainability of the urban environment. The methods are many: predicting the rate absorption-emission, using appropriate shading systems on the buildings’ facades, creating green roofs and walls, installing solar conversion energy systems, etc. ![enter image description here][1] [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14139205456445953.jpg