Tiziana Susca | ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (original) (raw)
Papers by Tiziana Susca
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2020
Urbanization often entails a surge in urban temperature compared to the rural surroundings: the U... more Urbanization often entails a surge in urban temperature compared to the rural surroundings: the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Such a temperature increase triggers the formation of pollutants worsening the urban air quality. Jointly, bad air quality and UHI affect ecosystems and human health. To alleviate the impacts on the population and the environment, it is crucial to design effective UHI-mitigation measures. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an assessment tool able to capture the complexity of urban settlements and quantify their impact. Yet, as currently implemented, LCA neglects the interactions between the built environment and the local climate, omitting the resulting impacts. This study reviews the existing literature, showing the lack of studies that organically include interactions between the built environment and local climate in LCA. This forms the basis to identify the unsuitability of the current LCA framework for comprehensively capturing the impact of urban settlements. To overcome this limitation, this research offers a pathway to expand the LCA methodology, indicating the necessity to (a) couple the LCA methodology with climate models or physical relations that quantify the interactions between the local climate and the built environment; (b) include novel impact categories in LCA to address such interactions; and (c) use existing or ad hoc developed characterization factors to assess the impacts related to the UHI effect. The LCA community can build on the frame of reference offered by this research to overcome the current limitations of LCA and enable its use for a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of UHI and its mitigation measures. K E Y W O R D S heat island, industrial ecology, policy making, urban heat island mitigation, urban LCA, urban settlement
Building and Environment, 2019
In the next decades, the increase in global population will lead to further urbanization determin... more In the next decades, the increase in global population will lead to further urbanization determining, on the one hand, an increase in building energy use and, on the other hand, a surge in urban temperature, which, in turn, affects building energy demand. Since the building sector greatly contributes to the use of energy globally, the amelioration of this sector is an urgent issue to contribute to climate stabilization. Published literature shows that green roofs affect both directly and indirectly building energy use, delivering the message that green roofs are fit-all solutions. However, the efficacy of the deployment of green roofs varies depending on climate and on their specific design. The present study contains a geographically explicit review of the building energy benefits deriving by the installation of green roofs depending on their specific design aiming at answering to the following research questions:-Are green roofs fit-all solutions for decreasing building energy use in diverse climates?-How insulation, growing media, and plant selection of green roofs should be calibrated in different climates to maximize their effect on building energy use?-How green roofs can contribute to UHI-mitigation in different climates?
Sustainable Cities and Society, 2017
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2014
Environmental Pollution, 2012
Traditionally, life cycle assessment (LCA) does not estimate a key property: surface albedo. Here... more Traditionally, life cycle assessment (LCA) does not estimate a key property: surface albedo. Here an enhancement of the LCA methodology has been proposed through the development and employment of a time-dependent climatological model for including the effect of surface albedo on climate. The theoretical findings derived by the time-dependent model have been applied to the case study of a black and a white roof evaluated in the time-frames of 50 and 100 years focusing on the impact on global warming potential. The comparative life cycle impact assessment of the two roofs shows that the high surface albedo plays a crucial role in offsetting radiative forcings. In the 50-year time horizon, surface albedo is responsible for a decrease in CO 2 eq of 110e184 kg and 131e217 kg in 100 years. Furthermore, the white roof compared to the black roof, due to the high albedo, decreases the annual energy use of about 3.6e4.5 kWh/m 2 .
Environmental Pollution, 2011
This paper attempts to evaluate the positive effects of vegetation with a multi-scale approach: a... more This paper attempts to evaluate the positive effects of vegetation with a multi-scale approach: an urban and a building scale. Monitoring the urban heat island in four areas of New York City, we have found an average of 2 C difference of temperatures between the most and the least vegetated areas, ascribable to the substitution of vegetation with man-made building materials. At micro-scale, we have assessed the effect of surface albedo on climate through the use of a climatological model. Then, using the CO 2 equivalents as indicators of the impact on climate, we have compared the surface albedo, and the construction, replacement and use phase of a black, a white and a green roof. By our analyses, we found that both the white and the green roofs are less impactive than the black one; with the thermal resistance, the biological activity of plants and the surface albedo playing a crucial role.
ABSTRACT -An introduction to the challenges facing urban areas and the urgent need to make them m... more ABSTRACT -An introduction to the challenges facing urban areas and the urgent need to make them more sustainable. -A key challenge is the complexity of cities that leads to non-linear and unintended consequences of, often well meant, interventions. -Underlines the case for a more integrated response to deliver more sustainable urban areas, and the need for a new generation of integrated assessment methods and tools to operationalise this. -Introduces the structure of the rest of the book.
![Research paper thumbnail of Erratum to “Enhancement of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to include the effect of surface albedo on climate change: Comparing black and white roofs” [Environmental Pollution 163 (2012) 48–54]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/83751976/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Environmental Pollution, 2012
Handbook of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, 2021
The amount of solar energy that is reflected by different materials can have a significant impact... more The amount of solar energy that is reflected by different materials can have a significant impact on temperatures, both at a local level and across the globe. As Tiziana Susca writes, cities generally have higher temperatures than surrounding areas, in part because the materials used in construction reflect less energy. She argues that by encouraging the construction of rooftops in European cities which reflect more solar energy, temperature increases could be mitigated within cities, potentially improving the welfare of local populations and contributing to the prevention of climate change. Moreover, if this policy were integrated into existing urban maintenance plans it would essentially be a cost-free intervention.
The life span of a building product is a key Parameter when it comes to Life Cycle Assessment (LC... more The life span of a building product is a key Parameter when it comes to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) performance. Nevertheless, many uncertainties affect this parameter due to a lack of long-term performance data. The sensitivity of the LCA outcomes to this parameter has been studied within the framework of the FP7 project H-House (Healthier Life with Eco-innovative Components for Housing Constructions) funded by the European Commission. The paper Features two comparative studies conducted within the scope of this project: one for new construction and another for renovation. An innovative precast sandwich panel made of Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) and Foamed Concrete (FC), used for external walls in new construction, is compared with a steel reinforced concrete (SRC) wall of the same thermal resistance. For renovation, a novel halfsandwich panel made of Ultra-High-Performance-Concrete (UHPC) and Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) is compared with cladding having the same thermal ...
EUROPEAN CITIES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION BY CHANGING URBAN ALBEDO However, the... more EUROPEAN CITIES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION BY CHANGING URBAN ALBEDO However, the project’s aim does not provide any geographical distinction for the wide increase in urban albedo. To enable decision makers to prioritise interventions and development of science-based policies, we evaluate the mitigation potential of albedo increase across a sample of the most populous European cities. Through the peculiar climatological and morphological characteristics of each city we obtained a geographically explicit consideration of the increase in albedo. To quantify the potential decrease in instantaneous radiative forcing by albedo increases, climatological data, such as clearness index and incoming solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere, were retrieved from satellite sources (NASA 2013). The data about the urban morphology – such as the amount of urban surface for transport, for residential uses and for commercial activities – were retrieved from Eurostat (2013). Both m...
Albedo is an optical property of surfaces. The higher is the surface albedo, the higher is the am... more Albedo is an optical property of surfaces. The higher is the surface albedo, the higher is the amount of solar radiation that a surface scatters back to space.
European Journal of Climate Change
The year 1950 has been a tipping point for Europe, as most of the European population became more... more The year 1950 has been a tipping point for Europe, as most of the European population became more urban than rural. Since that moment such a transition never stopped, and, projections say that by 2050, the number of urban inhabitants will approximately reach 75% of the total population in Europe, likely imposing further urban sprawl in one of the already most urbanized regions worldwide. As cities are responsible for 75% of the global carbon dioxide emissions, a questionabout how cities are dealing with climate change raises. Climate change threatens cities in numerous ways and at different scales. For instance, urbanization entails local increase in urban temperature, compared to the rural environs, known as Urban HeatIsland (UHI) effect. Both big and small-sized European cities are experiencing UHI. Previous research shows that in Paris, Rome and Barcelona, the UHI is as high as 8, 5 and 8.2 °C, respectively. In addition to urban and microscale temperature surges, anthropogeniccli...
is a postdoctoral fellow in the working group on Land Use, Infrastructures and Transport. Tiziana... more is a postdoctoral fellow in the working group on Land Use, Infrastructures and Transport. Tiziana Suscas research interests include climate change, environmental assessment, urban studies, assessment of urban ecosystem services with a specific interest in broadening Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) application to the evaluation of the environmental and urban policies. In 2012 she was research fellow at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) in Bologna, Italy. Tiziana Susca earned a Ph.D. in Engineering at Polytechnic University of Bari (Italy) on March 2011 with an inter disciplinary thesis on LCA focused on the implementation of the LCA methodology to include the effect of variation in urban albedo on climate. During her Ph.D.
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2020
Urbanization often entails a surge in urban temperature compared to the rural surroundings: the U... more Urbanization often entails a surge in urban temperature compared to the rural surroundings: the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Such a temperature increase triggers the formation of pollutants worsening the urban air quality. Jointly, bad air quality and UHI affect ecosystems and human health. To alleviate the impacts on the population and the environment, it is crucial to design effective UHI-mitigation measures. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an assessment tool able to capture the complexity of urban settlements and quantify their impact. Yet, as currently implemented, LCA neglects the interactions between the built environment and the local climate, omitting the resulting impacts. This study reviews the existing literature, showing the lack of studies that organically include interactions between the built environment and local climate in LCA. This forms the basis to identify the unsuitability of the current LCA framework for comprehensively capturing the impact of urban settlements. To overcome this limitation, this research offers a pathway to expand the LCA methodology, indicating the necessity to (a) couple the LCA methodology with climate models or physical relations that quantify the interactions between the local climate and the built environment; (b) include novel impact categories in LCA to address such interactions; and (c) use existing or ad hoc developed characterization factors to assess the impacts related to the UHI effect. The LCA community can build on the frame of reference offered by this research to overcome the current limitations of LCA and enable its use for a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of UHI and its mitigation measures. K E Y W O R D S heat island, industrial ecology, policy making, urban heat island mitigation, urban LCA, urban settlement
Building and Environment, 2019
In the next decades, the increase in global population will lead to further urbanization determin... more In the next decades, the increase in global population will lead to further urbanization determining, on the one hand, an increase in building energy use and, on the other hand, a surge in urban temperature, which, in turn, affects building energy demand. Since the building sector greatly contributes to the use of energy globally, the amelioration of this sector is an urgent issue to contribute to climate stabilization. Published literature shows that green roofs affect both directly and indirectly building energy use, delivering the message that green roofs are fit-all solutions. However, the efficacy of the deployment of green roofs varies depending on climate and on their specific design. The present study contains a geographically explicit review of the building energy benefits deriving by the installation of green roofs depending on their specific design aiming at answering to the following research questions:-Are green roofs fit-all solutions for decreasing building energy use in diverse climates?-How insulation, growing media, and plant selection of green roofs should be calibrated in different climates to maximize their effect on building energy use?-How green roofs can contribute to UHI-mitigation in different climates?
Sustainable Cities and Society, 2017
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2014
Environmental Pollution, 2012
Traditionally, life cycle assessment (LCA) does not estimate a key property: surface albedo. Here... more Traditionally, life cycle assessment (LCA) does not estimate a key property: surface albedo. Here an enhancement of the LCA methodology has been proposed through the development and employment of a time-dependent climatological model for including the effect of surface albedo on climate. The theoretical findings derived by the time-dependent model have been applied to the case study of a black and a white roof evaluated in the time-frames of 50 and 100 years focusing on the impact on global warming potential. The comparative life cycle impact assessment of the two roofs shows that the high surface albedo plays a crucial role in offsetting radiative forcings. In the 50-year time horizon, surface albedo is responsible for a decrease in CO 2 eq of 110e184 kg and 131e217 kg in 100 years. Furthermore, the white roof compared to the black roof, due to the high albedo, decreases the annual energy use of about 3.6e4.5 kWh/m 2 .
Environmental Pollution, 2011
This paper attempts to evaluate the positive effects of vegetation with a multi-scale approach: a... more This paper attempts to evaluate the positive effects of vegetation with a multi-scale approach: an urban and a building scale. Monitoring the urban heat island in four areas of New York City, we have found an average of 2 C difference of temperatures between the most and the least vegetated areas, ascribable to the substitution of vegetation with man-made building materials. At micro-scale, we have assessed the effect of surface albedo on climate through the use of a climatological model. Then, using the CO 2 equivalents as indicators of the impact on climate, we have compared the surface albedo, and the construction, replacement and use phase of a black, a white and a green roof. By our analyses, we found that both the white and the green roofs are less impactive than the black one; with the thermal resistance, the biological activity of plants and the surface albedo playing a crucial role.
ABSTRACT -An introduction to the challenges facing urban areas and the urgent need to make them m... more ABSTRACT -An introduction to the challenges facing urban areas and the urgent need to make them more sustainable. -A key challenge is the complexity of cities that leads to non-linear and unintended consequences of, often well meant, interventions. -Underlines the case for a more integrated response to deliver more sustainable urban areas, and the need for a new generation of integrated assessment methods and tools to operationalise this. -Introduces the structure of the rest of the book.
Environmental Pollution, 2012
Handbook of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, 2021
The amount of solar energy that is reflected by different materials can have a significant impact... more The amount of solar energy that is reflected by different materials can have a significant impact on temperatures, both at a local level and across the globe. As Tiziana Susca writes, cities generally have higher temperatures than surrounding areas, in part because the materials used in construction reflect less energy. She argues that by encouraging the construction of rooftops in European cities which reflect more solar energy, temperature increases could be mitigated within cities, potentially improving the welfare of local populations and contributing to the prevention of climate change. Moreover, if this policy were integrated into existing urban maintenance plans it would essentially be a cost-free intervention.
The life span of a building product is a key Parameter when it comes to Life Cycle Assessment (LC... more The life span of a building product is a key Parameter when it comes to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) performance. Nevertheless, many uncertainties affect this parameter due to a lack of long-term performance data. The sensitivity of the LCA outcomes to this parameter has been studied within the framework of the FP7 project H-House (Healthier Life with Eco-innovative Components for Housing Constructions) funded by the European Commission. The paper Features two comparative studies conducted within the scope of this project: one for new construction and another for renovation. An innovative precast sandwich panel made of Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) and Foamed Concrete (FC), used for external walls in new construction, is compared with a steel reinforced concrete (SRC) wall of the same thermal resistance. For renovation, a novel halfsandwich panel made of Ultra-High-Performance-Concrete (UHPC) and Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) is compared with cladding having the same thermal ...
EUROPEAN CITIES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION BY CHANGING URBAN ALBEDO However, the... more EUROPEAN CITIES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION BY CHANGING URBAN ALBEDO However, the project’s aim does not provide any geographical distinction for the wide increase in urban albedo. To enable decision makers to prioritise interventions and development of science-based policies, we evaluate the mitigation potential of albedo increase across a sample of the most populous European cities. Through the peculiar climatological and morphological characteristics of each city we obtained a geographically explicit consideration of the increase in albedo. To quantify the potential decrease in instantaneous radiative forcing by albedo increases, climatological data, such as clearness index and incoming solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere, were retrieved from satellite sources (NASA 2013). The data about the urban morphology – such as the amount of urban surface for transport, for residential uses and for commercial activities – were retrieved from Eurostat (2013). Both m...
Albedo is an optical property of surfaces. The higher is the surface albedo, the higher is the am... more Albedo is an optical property of surfaces. The higher is the surface albedo, the higher is the amount of solar radiation that a surface scatters back to space.
European Journal of Climate Change
The year 1950 has been a tipping point for Europe, as most of the European population became more... more The year 1950 has been a tipping point for Europe, as most of the European population became more urban than rural. Since that moment such a transition never stopped, and, projections say that by 2050, the number of urban inhabitants will approximately reach 75% of the total population in Europe, likely imposing further urban sprawl in one of the already most urbanized regions worldwide. As cities are responsible for 75% of the global carbon dioxide emissions, a questionabout how cities are dealing with climate change raises. Climate change threatens cities in numerous ways and at different scales. For instance, urbanization entails local increase in urban temperature, compared to the rural environs, known as Urban HeatIsland (UHI) effect. Both big and small-sized European cities are experiencing UHI. Previous research shows that in Paris, Rome and Barcelona, the UHI is as high as 8, 5 and 8.2 °C, respectively. In addition to urban and microscale temperature surges, anthropogeniccli...
is a postdoctoral fellow in the working group on Land Use, Infrastructures and Transport. Tiziana... more is a postdoctoral fellow in the working group on Land Use, Infrastructures and Transport. Tiziana Suscas research interests include climate change, environmental assessment, urban studies, assessment of urban ecosystem services with a specific interest in broadening Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) application to the evaluation of the environmental and urban policies. In 2012 she was research fellow at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) in Bologna, Italy. Tiziana Susca earned a Ph.D. in Engineering at Polytechnic University of Bari (Italy) on March 2011 with an inter disciplinary thesis on LCA focused on the implementation of the LCA methodology to include the effect of variation in urban albedo on climate. During her Ph.D.
The urgent need to reconfigure urban areas to consume fewer resources, generate less pollution, b... more The urgent need to reconfigure urban areas to consume fewer resources, generate less pollution, be more resilient to the impacts of extreme events and become more sustainable in general, is widely recognised. To address these issues, requires integrated thinking across a range of urban systems, topics, issues and perspectives that are traditionally considered separately. This book introduces key results from the European Science Foundation funded COST Action TU0902 network that brought together researchers and practitioners involved in urban integrated assessment. Using case studies, theoretical approaches and reporting experience from across Europe this book explores the challenges and opportunities of urban integrated assessment through four perspectives: (i) Quantified integrated assessment modelling; (ii) Climate change adaptation and mitigation; (iii) Green and blue infrastructure; and, (iv) Urban policy and governance. The book closes by outlining priorities for future research and development and presents a generic framework for urban integrated assessment to analyse the potential benefits and trade-offs of sustainability policies and interventions.