T. Townshend - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by T. Townshend
Town Planning Review, 1998
International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 2007
If official rhetoric is to be believed, the UK has been quick to respond to growing global demand... more If official rhetoric is to be believed, the UK has been quick to respond to growing global demands for greater sustainability in the way we create the built environment. At national level there has been a plethora of planning and related guidance stressing the importance of sustainable development and the need for more sustainable housing has been a key tenet of these texts. The British Research Establishment has had guidelines and a rating system for more sustainable 'eco-home' developments since the 1990s. The majority of housing development in the UK, however, outwardly and in plan form at least, seems little different to that built 25 years ago. So why should this be so? Why, when national government policy seems so driven by the sustainability agenda and there are easily adopted national standards, should so little credence appear to be afforded them? This paper begins to explore these tensions from the supply side of the equation and in particular in relation to the North East of England. It outlines the development of planning policy in the context of a growing sustainability agenda, the debates surrounding sustainable neighbourhoods and the pressure for new homes in the UK. The paper then reviews an empirical research project which explores issues surrounding sustainable neighbourhood development with two types of housing providers. A group of volume house builders, used to providing the type of standardised products in developments that have faced much criticism in recent years and also bespoke providers, who are explicitly striving for more sustainable goals in their work, give their views. The research study covered a wide range of themes covering planning, construction and detailed design; this paper focuses on the more 'macro' issues.
Housing Studies, 2006
The thrust of current UK government policy on housing design and location is to get more of the p... more The thrust of current UK government policy on housing design and location is to get more of the population to live in more urban, higher density, better quality developments on reused brownfield land. Such thinking has been influenced by wider European trends and in particular New Urbanism theories from the US. It has been argued, however, particularly from the perspective of mass house builders, that UK policies run counter to what the house buying public actually want and aspire to. Further, can such policies really succeed in urban areas where there is low demand for housing and large numbers of existing properties lie empty and abandoned? This paper begins to address some of these issues by reviewing existing literature in the field and through discussing the results of an empirical project undertaken for NewcastleGateshead Pathfinder Housing Market Renewal Partnership, looking at the nature of some of the qualitative drivers behind people's housing choice and what these might mean for future policy directions.
... at this time, rather than being predominantly concerned with the layout of new development. .... more ... at this time, rather than being predominantly concerned with the layout of new development. ... and strengthening state protection through listing and the system of conservation areas, introduced in ... The European Architectural Heritage Year of 1975 was perhaps a high-point of the ...
Journal of public health (Oxford, England), Jan 11, 2015
Food behaviours are important in the context of health and obesity. The aim was to explore the en... more Food behaviours are important in the context of health and obesity. The aim was to explore the environments and food behaviours of a sample of young people in the North East of England to further understanding of the relationship between eating behaviours and environmental context. Focus groups were conducted with four groups of young people aged 16-20 years (n = 40; 28 male, 12 female) between November 2006 and June 2007. Analysis was informed by grounded theory methods and was an iterative process of identifying themes across the transcripts. Topics explored included: their main environment, home food responsibility and cooking, food outside of the home, where food was purchased/obtained and where food was eaten and with whom. Emergent themes included: the value for money in food purchases, time convenience, the car as a means of accessing food and health perceptions. The complexities of the food environment were illustrated. This work has highlighted the importance of the home fo...
ABSTRACT Due to rapid and intensified urbanisation in cities, the characteristics of outdoor urba... more ABSTRACT Due to rapid and intensified urbanisation in cities, the characteristics of outdoor urban microclimates have been detrimentally influenced, altering the perception and satisfaction of pedestrians, especially in hot and dry climates. This poses challenges to many researchers and urban space designers in finding appropriate methods to reduce the urban heat stress and thus to enhance the thermal comfort level of outdoor pedestrian spaces, to prolong the period of their use of space and viability as urban retreats. However, there is limited research conducted on outdoor urban spaces in hot arid climate. Therefore, the purpose of this current research is to review the outdoor thermal comfort interaction factors, as well as to contribute to the knowledge of the literature by conducting a case study of a pedestrian street in the hot dry city of Madinah, Saudi Arabia. It also aims to find out the available methods to increase the outdoor pedestrian thermal comfort level in hot and dry urban microclimates, in addition to understand how CFD simulation method can influence the urban space design and planning processes. This review covers the effect of the moderation of the built environment’s components on the microclimatic parameters on pedestrians’ scale, with the aim for optimising the thermal comfort level in outdoor urban spaces. The literature also covers the use of simulation tools used to simulate environmental conditions outdoors with specific focus on CFD simulation for outdoor thermal comfort applications. Finally, this paper expects to highlight the limitations of both the microclimatic enhancement approach and the CFD simulation as a tool in the field of urban design.
ABSTRACT http://www.setaih.com SUMMARY: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly being ... more ABSTRACT http://www.setaih.com SUMMARY: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly being used as a tool for the analysis of outdoor and indoor air flow and thermal conditions. With over half of the world's population living in cities, rapid population growth and dense urban development has increasingly led to the phenomenon of urban heat islands, which in turn contribute to the deteriorating air quality and thermal discomfort in outdoor urban public spaces. In hot arid countries, changes in the characteristics of the urban microclimate are observed due to dense urbanization, high-rise buildings, and industrialization of the building processes and materials, leading to a reduction in thermal comfort in outdoor and indoor spaces. This research highlights the potential of adopting Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as a simulation technique to investigate the complex fluid flow patterns in urban thermal environments, and investigates methods intended to prolong thermal comfort in public places. It discusses the advantages and limitations of CFD tools and the procedural guidelines for conducting CFD simulation. This paper also gives examples of case studies of CFD assessment for indoor and outdoor urban environments, and the practical use of RANS solver in comparison with LES, DES, and DNS models. Finally the paper highlights a case study of a CFD simulation using a RANS turbulence model of an urban street in the hot arid city of Madinah, Saudi Arabia. (2014). CFD modeling as a tool for assessing outdoor thermal comfort conditions in urban settings in hot arid climates, COPYRIGHT: © 2014 The authors. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 unported (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
ABSTRACT Pedestrian thermal comfort in outdoor environments depends mainly on environmental param... more ABSTRACT Pedestrian thermal comfort in outdoor environments depends mainly on environmental parameters, urban physical configurations, and socio-behavioural factors. Due to rapid urbanisation and the density of urban construction, the characteristics of outdoor microclimate have been influenced, leading to pedestrian dissatisfaction with the thermal environment in many cities. This problem has posed many challenges to urban designers and other researchers in finding suitable ways to mitigate the heat stress of thermal environments in outdoor urban spaces. The purpose of this current research seeks to review the appropriate methods that may be used to increase the thermal comfort conditions in outdoor pedestrian spaces. This paper also reviews the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate outdoor wind flow conditions that affect pedestrian thermal comfort in urban design as a tool for the simulation of outdoor thermal comfort factors. Finally, it highlights a number of advantages and challenges in the application of CFD.
Town Planning Review, 1998
International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 2007
If official rhetoric is to be believed, the UK has been quick to respond to growing global demand... more If official rhetoric is to be believed, the UK has been quick to respond to growing global demands for greater sustainability in the way we create the built environment. At national level there has been a plethora of planning and related guidance stressing the importance of sustainable development and the need for more sustainable housing has been a key tenet of these texts. The British Research Establishment has had guidelines and a rating system for more sustainable 'eco-home' developments since the 1990s. The majority of housing development in the UK, however, outwardly and in plan form at least, seems little different to that built 25 years ago. So why should this be so? Why, when national government policy seems so driven by the sustainability agenda and there are easily adopted national standards, should so little credence appear to be afforded them? This paper begins to explore these tensions from the supply side of the equation and in particular in relation to the North East of England. It outlines the development of planning policy in the context of a growing sustainability agenda, the debates surrounding sustainable neighbourhoods and the pressure for new homes in the UK. The paper then reviews an empirical research project which explores issues surrounding sustainable neighbourhood development with two types of housing providers. A group of volume house builders, used to providing the type of standardised products in developments that have faced much criticism in recent years and also bespoke providers, who are explicitly striving for more sustainable goals in their work, give their views. The research study covered a wide range of themes covering planning, construction and detailed design; this paper focuses on the more 'macro' issues.
Housing Studies, 2006
The thrust of current UK government policy on housing design and location is to get more of the p... more The thrust of current UK government policy on housing design and location is to get more of the population to live in more urban, higher density, better quality developments on reused brownfield land. Such thinking has been influenced by wider European trends and in particular New Urbanism theories from the US. It has been argued, however, particularly from the perspective of mass house builders, that UK policies run counter to what the house buying public actually want and aspire to. Further, can such policies really succeed in urban areas where there is low demand for housing and large numbers of existing properties lie empty and abandoned? This paper begins to address some of these issues by reviewing existing literature in the field and through discussing the results of an empirical project undertaken for NewcastleGateshead Pathfinder Housing Market Renewal Partnership, looking at the nature of some of the qualitative drivers behind people's housing choice and what these might mean for future policy directions.
... at this time, rather than being predominantly concerned with the layout of new development. .... more ... at this time, rather than being predominantly concerned with the layout of new development. ... and strengthening state protection through listing and the system of conservation areas, introduced in ... The European Architectural Heritage Year of 1975 was perhaps a high-point of the ...
Journal of public health (Oxford, England), Jan 11, 2015
Food behaviours are important in the context of health and obesity. The aim was to explore the en... more Food behaviours are important in the context of health and obesity. The aim was to explore the environments and food behaviours of a sample of young people in the North East of England to further understanding of the relationship between eating behaviours and environmental context. Focus groups were conducted with four groups of young people aged 16-20 years (n = 40; 28 male, 12 female) between November 2006 and June 2007. Analysis was informed by grounded theory methods and was an iterative process of identifying themes across the transcripts. Topics explored included: their main environment, home food responsibility and cooking, food outside of the home, where food was purchased/obtained and where food was eaten and with whom. Emergent themes included: the value for money in food purchases, time convenience, the car as a means of accessing food and health perceptions. The complexities of the food environment were illustrated. This work has highlighted the importance of the home fo...
ABSTRACT Due to rapid and intensified urbanisation in cities, the characteristics of outdoor urba... more ABSTRACT Due to rapid and intensified urbanisation in cities, the characteristics of outdoor urban microclimates have been detrimentally influenced, altering the perception and satisfaction of pedestrians, especially in hot and dry climates. This poses challenges to many researchers and urban space designers in finding appropriate methods to reduce the urban heat stress and thus to enhance the thermal comfort level of outdoor pedestrian spaces, to prolong the period of their use of space and viability as urban retreats. However, there is limited research conducted on outdoor urban spaces in hot arid climate. Therefore, the purpose of this current research is to review the outdoor thermal comfort interaction factors, as well as to contribute to the knowledge of the literature by conducting a case study of a pedestrian street in the hot dry city of Madinah, Saudi Arabia. It also aims to find out the available methods to increase the outdoor pedestrian thermal comfort level in hot and dry urban microclimates, in addition to understand how CFD simulation method can influence the urban space design and planning processes. This review covers the effect of the moderation of the built environment’s components on the microclimatic parameters on pedestrians’ scale, with the aim for optimising the thermal comfort level in outdoor urban spaces. The literature also covers the use of simulation tools used to simulate environmental conditions outdoors with specific focus on CFD simulation for outdoor thermal comfort applications. Finally, this paper expects to highlight the limitations of both the microclimatic enhancement approach and the CFD simulation as a tool in the field of urban design.
ABSTRACT http://www.setaih.com SUMMARY: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly being ... more ABSTRACT http://www.setaih.com SUMMARY: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly being used as a tool for the analysis of outdoor and indoor air flow and thermal conditions. With over half of the world's population living in cities, rapid population growth and dense urban development has increasingly led to the phenomenon of urban heat islands, which in turn contribute to the deteriorating air quality and thermal discomfort in outdoor urban public spaces. In hot arid countries, changes in the characteristics of the urban microclimate are observed due to dense urbanization, high-rise buildings, and industrialization of the building processes and materials, leading to a reduction in thermal comfort in outdoor and indoor spaces. This research highlights the potential of adopting Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as a simulation technique to investigate the complex fluid flow patterns in urban thermal environments, and investigates methods intended to prolong thermal comfort in public places. It discusses the advantages and limitations of CFD tools and the procedural guidelines for conducting CFD simulation. This paper also gives examples of case studies of CFD assessment for indoor and outdoor urban environments, and the practical use of RANS solver in comparison with LES, DES, and DNS models. Finally the paper highlights a case study of a CFD simulation using a RANS turbulence model of an urban street in the hot arid city of Madinah, Saudi Arabia. (2014). CFD modeling as a tool for assessing outdoor thermal comfort conditions in urban settings in hot arid climates, COPYRIGHT: © 2014 The authors. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 unported (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
ABSTRACT Pedestrian thermal comfort in outdoor environments depends mainly on environmental param... more ABSTRACT Pedestrian thermal comfort in outdoor environments depends mainly on environmental parameters, urban physical configurations, and socio-behavioural factors. Due to rapid urbanisation and the density of urban construction, the characteristics of outdoor microclimate have been influenced, leading to pedestrian dissatisfaction with the thermal environment in many cities. This problem has posed many challenges to urban designers and other researchers in finding suitable ways to mitigate the heat stress of thermal environments in outdoor urban spaces. The purpose of this current research seeks to review the appropriate methods that may be used to increase the thermal comfort conditions in outdoor pedestrian spaces. This paper also reviews the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate outdoor wind flow conditions that affect pedestrian thermal comfort in urban design as a tool for the simulation of outdoor thermal comfort factors. Finally, it highlights a number of advantages and challenges in the application of CFD.