Uploaded on 2016-12-26 by Olatz

2. WHICH ARE THE MAIN UHI EFFECTS THAT YOU CAN IDENTIFY IN YOUR AREA? In my area the effects that I can identify happen in summer. Bilbao is located in a hole surrounded by mountains and so, the heat emitted by the asphalt, the buildings, the traffic and air conditioning and other cooling systems, tends to stay on the city, creating a bubble of high temperatures and smog. In comparison to other cities located in the metropolitan area the temperature can vary around 5 degrees centigrade. 3. WHICH ARE THE MEASURES YOU WOULD PROPOSE? Bilbao is not a big metropolis (the population of the city and the whole metropolitan area is about 1,000,000 people), the climate is mild, and industrial activity is no longer powerful as it used to, so traffic and asphalt are the main factors to keep in mind in order to avoid the temperature raising. To do so, it is necessary to reinforce public transportation, specially the train and subway, making them more efficient and useful. Nowadays, although it is used by thousands of people, frequencies are not enough, they are poor in comparison with other big cities in Spain, and, consequently, the subway looks more like an ordinary railway system. With regard to the railway system, the line that connects Bilbao and the surrounding towns is obsolete and many people choose the car rather than using the train. On the other hand it is necessary to transform the urban spaces and expand green areas that balance the proportion of asphalt and vegetation. Bilbao and its metropolitan area were very industrialized areas, so now, I would encourage these areas to rethink their urban net, to locate and map the spots that are no longer useful or are no longer sustainable, and transform them prioritizing the development of green areas. For example, the old railways that use to carry charcoal, scrap, and so to Bilbao, can be transformed into green routes along the riverside. Finally, it would be essential to invest money in the restoration of old buildings, proving them with new facades and roofs that minimize energy loses and the heat irradiation. Of course, when designing new building, architects must take into account the appropriate design standards so that the buildings are as efficient as possible, and make use of new technologies such as thermic simulations to achieve the best result. 4. IS UHI EFFECT CONCERNING POLICY MAKING IN YOUR AREA? At this time, there are no policies concerning UHI effect in my area, and I have not heard about any project regarding the UHI effects-. In Spain these studies there are reduced to Madrid and Barcelona, and the situation in these cities is very different to the one in Bilbao. Although there is little work on using climatic guidelines on urban planning, there is a willingness to control buildings, both new and rehabilitated, in terms of emissions, demand, useful life etc., being necessary to comply with some standards (included in the technical code of the building) so that the execution of the project is legal.