Urban variables for adaptation to global warming in a hot-humid climate. Cuban cities as a case study

• Published in: Urban climate 2023-09, Vol.51, p.101633, Article 101633
• Main Authors: Conzález Couret, Dania, Collado Baldoquin, Natali, de la Paz Pérez, Guillermo Antonio, Rueda Guzmán, Luis Alberto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Cuba; Global warming; Hot-humid climates; State of the art; Urban morphology
• ISSN: 2212-0955; 2212-0955
• DOI: 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101633

This article discusses the variables that condition the influence of urban morphology on the thermal environment in outdoor spaces and those on which it is possible to act to procure, by passive means, that is, acting on the modifiers of the urban form, better adaptation to global warming in hot – humid climates. It corresponds to the first step of an ongoing research aiming to classify and to evaluate urban morphologies in Cuba in order to propose transformations for a better adaptation to climate change. The current theoretical investigation aimed at characterizing the state of the art, trends and good practices in this field. To facilitate the processing of the collected information, the variables identified by various authors were ordered by scales as well as by general and specific themes. According to the results, proposals to adapt the urban morphologies to the global warming will be done taking into account the street canyon, the built mass including buildings, and assuming orientation, finishing materials and the urban green as modifiers of the geometry, acting on the two last ones. •Urban geometry is characterized by the street canyon and the built mass•Orientation, vegetation and materials are modifiers of the urban geometry effect•Compactness and roughness are key indicators of the urban geometry impact•Evaluation methods and indicators should be adjusted to inhabitants in hot climates•Most studied variables are density, aspect ratio, buildings height and urban green.