10612nd PALENC Conference and 28th AIVC Conference on Building Low Energy Cooling and Advanced Ventilation Technologies in the 21st Century, September 2007, Crete island, Greece

Sustainable master planning and urban design for the “buffer zone” of Nicosia

A. Tsolaki, A. TrombadoreUniversity of Florence, Italy

M. SantamourisUniversity of Athens, Greece

of renewable energy integration during all the phases of sustainable urban design.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The urban climateUrban forms can modify the climate of a city, creating the famous urban microclimate and differentiate it from the climate of the surrounding rural areas. The urban climate and particularly the urban microclimate within the urban space are one of the most important aspects to consider for the improvement of the overheating sum-mer effect of the Mediterranean cities.The replacement of vegetation or soil by concrete or asphalt such as the impermeable surfaces, the massive buildings and the pollutants help to make the cities hot-ter. The solar energy raises the surface temperature of the different materials instead of being used for the evaporation process of a natural vegetative cover. The urban comfort and quality of the open spaces de-pends also to the layer of atmosphere enclosed within the street canyons up to the buildings roof height, called “urban canopy”.The form and layout of buildings as well as the street’s sec-tion and orientation, and the size or the shape of all urban open areas, affect mainly the urban canopy microclimate. Afterwards, more investigation is needed on this field in order to evaluate the interactions between the geometric characteristics of the urban texture and the most impor-tant microclimate factors.Microclimate is affected by the following parameters: topography, soil structure, ground cover and urban forms. To evaluate the impact of the urban microclimateTo evaluate the impact of the urban microclimate we have to consider the wind speed, the ambient tem-perature and the relative humidity measurements such as the building materials and their respective colors.

1.2 The heat island effectThe urban heat island effect is the higher summer tem-peratures in urban areas than the rural surroundings. This phenomenon can also exist as the different tem-perature of two different open spaces in the same city.Studies have shown that the heat island effect depends

ABSTRACT

This paper will describe how the urban projects or the new master plans must consider the environmental im-pact of the proposed intervention and minimise them through a sustainable planning. The Nicosia’s bi-com-munal master plan project has as development objective the improvement of the existing habitat and the human settlement conditions with a preservation and rehabili-tation policy in particular way for the walled city (his-torical centre) that is almost abandoned since the Turk-ish invasion of 1974. Our contribution consists in the reinterpretation of the previsions of the existing master plan, translating them in sustainable ones. The principal objective of the project is to “break down” the last Euro-pean wall and to think Nicosia in the future as a unique city revitalising the historical centre through a sustain-able rehabilitation and urban design. In this vision we focused our attention at the “buffer-zone” of Nicosia’s walled city considered as the most important “gluing area” for the functional integration where we have trans-late the master plan propose for new open spaces in a network of open green spaces as “green islands” capable to create a microclimate and to reduce the “heat islands”.This network of open green spaces is going to be planned after an accurate local monitoring and evaluation of the existing climate conditions. The creation of attractive green spaces for visual and physical relief such as the reduction of psychological stress and external temperature, creating a pleasant local microclimate, becomes ever more important especially for the high summer-temperatures of the Mediterranean climates and in particular way of Cyprus.Creating high quality sustainable and thermic comfort external spaces that are safe and they encourage social interaction and integration is what sustainable landscape and urban design strives to achieve. This paper outlines the proposal for a sustainable master planning and ur-ban design through the application of the Project Man-agement model as successful tool for decision maker to define the low energy strategies objectives in buildings and to evaluate different scenarios of sustainable urban design, as well as to implement the cost/benefit analysis

PALENC 2007 - Vol 2.indd 1061 7/9/2007 1:25:55 µµ

1062 2nd PALENC Conference and 28th AIVC Conference on Building Low Energy Cooling and Advanced Ventilation Technologies in the 21st Century, September 2007, Crete island, Greece

to the city size and the urban population. This phenom-enon is related to climate, topography, physical layout and short term weather conditions.Factors such as canyon radiative geometry, thermal properties of the different materials, anthropogenic heat effect, urban greenhouse effect, canyon radiative geom-etry of the surfaces, reduction of the evaporating sur-faces and the reduce speed of the wind within the cities streets can influence the creation of the heat island effect. Different studies can demonstrate that green reduces this heat effect and it’s capable to reduce the ambient temperature until 3° C.The open green spaces used as “green islands” are ca-pable to create a microclimate and to reduce the “heat island” effect in an urban zone of a city.

2. SUSTAINABLE MASTER PLAN

2.1 What is a “sustainable master plan”Usually, a master plan is a set of guidelines for land use and development. A comprehensive master plan might also take economic aspects into account. But a sustain-able master plan combines economic growth, environ-mental issues, community needs and social equity.Here are only 10 goals to achieve for a sustainable mas-ter plan:• green building• energy efficiency and saving• use of renewable energies• open green spaces• a safe, clean place to live and work, • with adequate and affordable healthcare, • full employment, • 70 percent home ownership, • vibrant downtown with stores and community parks in walking distances, • education as a community priorityThe plan also lays out strategies for achieving these goals trough the Project Management process, and sets target dates (milestones) for measuring movement to-ward them. For example, one goal is incorporating green building by maximizing energy efficiency, minimizing negative impacts on human and environmental health, complying with green standards, and providing citizens with safe, efficient places to work and to live.A master plan has to set a target date and the percent number to implement energy conservation and effi-ciency measures, to reduce energy costs, and to reduce carbon emissions. One of the principal strategies for ac-complishing this is, first, to educate residents and busi-nesses about green building and green renovation, and then, offer special building loans and tax incentives to encourage energy conservation.

2.2 Nicosia’s existing urban conditions

Figure 1. A view of the ghost-zone of Nicosia’s Buffer zone through a hole in the “wall” (*)

The Cyprus dispute is the conflict between Greek Cyp-riots and Turkish Cypriots and also Republic of Cyprus and Turkey over Cyprus, an island nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The problem has involved Turkey, Greece, the United Kingdom, the USA, the United Na-tions and recently the European Union. Since 1974 the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus has been divided. The dividing line which cuts across the country has created a physical and social barrier between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot Communities. The Turkish Cypriot community declared itself Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, condemned by UN Security Council Resolutions as legally invalid and it is recognised only by Turkey. In 1963 the English military divide the city in two parts drawing a line on a map with a green pencil, which was to become known as the “Green Line”. The centre of Nicosia and especially the buffer zone created, still today, looks like a war zone and has lost its unique-ness. The historic centre was subject to physical decay and socio-economic decline conditions almost until to-day and become periphery. The existing conditions can be better described trough a traveller’s diary writing:“Finding one’s way in the labyrinthian heart of Nicosia is no easy matter. Seemingly at every turn, and provid-ing some sense of direction, are the sandbags, soldiers and blue UN flags of the buffer zone, running across the city, east to west. Straddling either side of the zone, in the centre of the city, are two hauntingly beautiful neighbourhoods - Arab Ahmet on the north and Chrysa-liniotissa on the south. They seem deserted except for a few stray cats, a flight of swallows or the occasion-al wizened face that appears unexpectedly through a window. Many of the buildings have fallen in on them-selves, their crumbling plaster exposing mud and straw brick structures. Weathered, painted doors, decorated with iron filigree, hang loosely on their hinges. A look

PALENC 2007 - Vol 2.indd 1062 7/9/2007 1:25:56 µµ

10632nd PALENC Conference and 28th AIVC Conference on Building Low Energy Cooling and Advanced Ventilation Technologies in the 21st Century, September 2007, Crete island, Greece

inside reveals inner courtyards, wildflowers springing up through the floorboards.”

2.2 Nicosia’s existing Master planThe NICOSIA MASTER PLAN is the Bi-Communal Initiative to change the image of the city formed by the NMP TEAM in 1981. A bi-communal multidisciplinary team was formed in order to prepare a common plan-ning strategy for Nicosia. The Nicosia Master Plan re-flects the courageous future unique vision of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities of Nicosia. While both communities look forward to a common so-lution to the political crisis, they believe that no time should be lost in dealing with the immediate problems of today, reversing the decay and centrifugal growth of the city. With funding from UNDP and technical sup-port from the UNOPS Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), Master Plan teams of urban planners, archi-tects, sociologists and economists from both sides have met routinely in the UN-patrolled buffer zone since 1980 to make a common project for the city. In this respect, the project has been one of the few continuous links between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The Nicosia Master Plan not only represents an extraordinary effort in bi-communal co-operation but it is also a bold de-parture in urban planning for Cyprus. While the city is blessed with a dynamic private sector, this has failed, so far, to provide the impetus needed to restore Old Nico-sia’s economic base, protect its cultural legacy, or en-hance the quality of life for its inhabitants. The strength and challenge of the Master Plan is that it goes beyond traditional, more or less reactive, urban development controls. Rather, it relies on the initiative of the public sector to actively shape the future direction of the city. The NMP rehabilitation policy is:• Social objectives: Relating to the rehabilitation of old residential neighbourhoods, community development and population increase.• Economic objectives: Aiming to revitalise the com-mercial core and increase employment Opportunities.•Architectural objectives: Preservation and restoration of individual historic monuments and of groups of buildings, with significant architectural and environmental qualities.

3. NICOSIA’S SUSTAINABLE MASTER PLAN

3.1. The “Green across the Green line” projectThe Nicosia’s project, called “Green across the Green line” was a project elaborated in the Master course exam of sustainable planning through the Project man-agement Model that use strategies for the plan of low energy building and sustainable urban design. Our project consists in the translation of the existing master plan indications, in sustainable ones.

Figure 2

The central objective of the “Green across the Green line” project is to “break down” the last European wall and to think Nicosia in the future as a unique sustain-able city with a new and “green” revitalised historical centre. Furthermore after the evaluation of the local cli-mate conditions, a sustainable plan for the rehabilitation and the urban design, improving the existing habitat and the human settlement conditions, is to be carried out. Another important objective of this project is to cre-ate attractive green open spaces which will be valued and cherished by the future bi-communal citizens of the now uninhabited walled city. This “new” environments will be socially, economically and environmentally complete spaces that can add to the quality of life for all the residents and the visitors alike. The deliverables and the project quality consists principally in :• Unification and revitalization of the divided city trough a network of green spaces able to improve the microcli-mate comfort of the urban spaces. Projects also capable to improve the accessibility and to remove the archi-tectural feature that denies access to the handicapped. This upgrade of the historic centre , within five years, through the green squares network will create new meeting spaces where the new generations can play and socialize. According to plan, new pedestrian zones of 2,8 km and bicycle tracks of 1, 6 km that will connect the ten different squares, are planned. • Projects capable to stimulate the morphological qual-ity trough the use of local and ecological materials for the paving and the building rehabilitation, increasing that way the value of the natural heritage. • Promotional plans for the sustainable economic and social development, able to increase the value of the city’s image as a unique one trough the investment on culture, tourism, trade, traditions and environment. • Energy saving of 60% for the buildings through the benefits of the microclimate created from the “green islands” , the building rehabilitation, the natural ven-tilation and the use of rennovable sources. Pilot plans will aim at the social awareness and the energy saving such as the creation of photovoltaic installations for the

PALENC 2007 - Vol 2.indd 1063 7/9/2007 1:25:56 µµ

1064 2nd PALENC Conference and 28th AIVC Conference on Building Low Energy Cooling and Advanced Ventilation Technologies in the 21st Century, September 2007, Crete island, Greece

urban lighting using the solar energy.

3.2. The Project Management ModelThe project was developed through the Project manage-ment Model, creating a complete “charter” indicated by the PMI (Project Management Institute) and the struc-tured work programme. Furthermore was based on WBS (work breakdown structure), stakeholders analysis and budget evaluation, focusing on low energy building de-sign and the integration of renewable energy strategies and technologies since the scope/objects definition us-ing the TADA ( think, ask, decide, act) process.

Figure 3. The TADA process. The TADA process

Figure 4. Work Brakedown Structure. Work Brakedown Structure Structure

Figure 5. Project definition. Project definition

Six different scales of projects allowed to apply the project management model (13 steps) at building scale (technological and material approach), as well as to dis-trict (with the evaluation of “District contracts energy experiment objects”) and urban scale, where the evalu-ation of different scenarios of renewable energy integra-tion plays a strategically rule.

REFERENCES

M. Santamouris, N. Papanikolaou, I. Livada, I. Koronakis, C. Georgakis, A. Argiriou and D. N. Assimakopoulos :’ On the Im-pact of Urban Climate to the Energy Consumption of Buildings’ Solar Energy, 70,3,201-216,2001. S. Hassid. M. Santamouris, N. Papanikolaou, A. Linardi, N. Klitsikas,C. Georgakis, D.N. Assimakopoulos : ‘The Effect of the Athens Heat Island on Air Conditioning Load’, J. Energy and Buildings, 32,2,131-141,2000Brown, R.D., and T.J. Gillespie. (1995). Microclimate Landscape Design. John Wiley & Sons, New York.Fanger, P.O., (1970). Thermal comfort – Analysis and Applica-tions in Environmental Engineering. Mc Graw Hill, New York.Fanger, P.O. (1972) Thermal comfort. Mc Graw-Hill.Ferrante, A., and Mihalakakou, G. (2001). The influence of wa-ter, green and selected passive techniques on the rehabilitation of historical industrial buildings in urban areas. Solar Energy, vol. 70, pp. 245-253.Flash, E., (1981). Human Bioclimatology. In: General Clima-tology”, Landsberg, H.E., (Ed.), Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Oxford.Gagge, A.P., and Stolwijk, J.A.J., (1971). An Effective tempera-ture scale based on a simple model of human physiological regu-lation response”, ASHRAE Transactions, vol.77, pp.247-257.GGivoni, B., (1976). “Man, Climate and Architecture”, 2nd Ed., Applied Science Publishers, London, 1976.Givoni, B., and M. Noguchi, “Issues and problems in outdoor comfort research”, In Proceedings of the Plea’ 2000 Conference, Cambridge, UK, 2000.Givoni, B., M. Noguchi, H. Saaroni, O. Pochter, Y. Yaacov, N. Feller, S. Becker, “Outdoor comfort research issues”, Energy and Buildings, vol.1462, pp.1-10, 2002.Hoppe, P.,”Different aspects of assessing indoor and outdoor ther-mal comfort”, Energy and Buildings, vol.34, pp.661-665, 2002.J Landsberg, H.E., “The assessment of human bioclimates”, Lim- Landsberg, H.E., “The assessment of human bioclimates”, Lim-ited Review of Physical Parameters, WMO Technical note, No 123, Geneva, 1972.LLandsberg, H.E., “The urban climate”, Academic Press, New York, 1981.

PALENC 2007 - Vol 2.indd 1064 7/9/2007 1:25:56 µµ