GIS-based surface roughness evaluation in the urban planning system to improve the wind environment – A study in Wuhan, China

• A simplified method in GIS was introduced to evaluate urban permeability.
• Urban permeability was used to detect air paths for urban natural ventilation.
• Implementation of modelling results was interwoven into urban planning stages.

Due to the rapid urbanisation, the urban environment has been changed and deteriorated. One of reasons is lack of consideration and implementation of climatic and environmental information in urban planning. Thus, there is a need to develop a systematic method for city planners and policy-makers to make scientific and evidence-based decisions in the urban climatic and environmental field. Taking Wuhan as an example, this study aims to provide a practical framework to identify planning goals and guidelines for master and district planning, based on the results of roughness modelling. Both meteorological information and 3D urban morphology data were simplified and integrated in a Geographical Information System (GIS) to provide the detailed information of the urban permeability distribution. Based on this spatial distribution information, both master and district planning goals for better urban wind environment can be particularly identified and corresponding planning strategies can be established. With this spatial urban permeability information and the joint effort from local town plans and policy-makers of the Planning Bureau of Government, urban planning strategies for different spatial scales and districts can well corporate with each other and be interwoven into the whole urban planning process.