Uploaded on 2015-10-24 by RaduTeo

The urban area of the city is 285 square km, having an elevation that varies between 50 m - 90 m. The population counts 2 million people in the urban area, with a density of 8200 per square km. The city is traversed by Dambovita river, which brings its relative contribution to the climate behavior. The climate is a humid continental one, characterized by extremes, with 2 to 2 and a half months of hot summer (35 to 40 dgr C, with low precipitations and humidity), alternating with 2 to 3 moths of cold windy winters, generally snowy (temperatures often go below 0 dgr C, even -20 dgr C). Between the two, 3 months of cloudy and rainy autumns, even windy, and 2 to 3 months of spring (17 to 22 dgr C). Although winds are not that frequent in Bucharest, one might experience some thanks to its urbanisation : buildings tend to favor in some parts of the town currents creating zones, due to big height and small distance between them. Nevertheless, the city has several parks and a considerable number of lakes, which try to keep up with the pollution and the high number of cars. **The first image shows the river and the type of buildings surrounding it**, which is the most common type of buildings in Bucharest. We can see as well that there is no furnishing of the river banks, fact which could contribute to UHI effect.![enter image description here][1] **T**he second one is an image of rural areas**** which can be found somewhere near Bucharest : still pure, clean, rural areas, with a far less polluted area, with traffice barely existent in some of these rural zones, local material usages and respect for nature, which good agricultural activities. No type of urbanisation whatsoever in zones like these. ![enter image description here][2]![enter image description here][3] 2. **Main UHI effects :** traffic; intensive urbanisation which translates in consumption of energies; although several parks quite well managed, the city still heavily lacks in attention and interest for vegetation in general, not just in parks; the city's river is barely present and lacks in taking part in the urban picture; urban sprawl towards the outskirts and the suburbs, which sometimes translates in heavy deforestation. 3. **Personal measures** : **a.** As Bucharest is still a relatively controllable city, the **traffic should have a utterly better management**, with strong regard on its fluency (like intelligent traffic lights, which as a matter of fact the town has purchased it, but never implemented it), on the permission of cars in different historic, too small or already too crowded zones and unquestionably with a strong regard on limiting the number of cars and reinforcing the public transport. Moreover, infrastructure being built for responding to heavy traffic jams should be reconsidered, because of its visible failing and its not at all responsive and problem solving effect. **b.** Bucharest still has loads of old and forgotten buildings which can well serve for different other functions. Therefore **the urge of building high rises in the city should be reconsidered**, as the cityscape does not comprise high rises, not even financial districts. It still has its picturesque and Paris-ish atmosphere (Bucharest is known as being the Little Paris). Ergo, a smarter management of its land framework. **c.** As summers sun days are quite present over the year in Bucharest, alternative energy creating systems should be implemented where possible. Moreover, green roofs should be a must and the rule, if not law, of replanting the trees you cut when a new building is erected should become common sense, if not legally managed. 4. **UHI and policy making :** I am not aware of any public program regarding UHI effects. In fact, I am not sure the city has even begun to develop such a program, but isolated tendencies can be seen around the city, in architectural / urban approaches. [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14457046857863692.jpg [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14457049212328062.jpg [3]: http://