Urban Meteorology: A Historical Perspective "Invited"

This presentation examines the key moments in the development of urban meteorology during the twentieth century. Drawing on archival work and participant interviews the paper looks into the early concepts, methods and results of research into the urban and industrial atmosphere, paying special attention to the post-WW2 advances and their relationship to Cold War and national politics of science. I also trace the recurrent efforts of the science community to raise awareness amongst architects, planners and other policy makers about the climatic dimension of urban design. While there were some successes, the knowledge transfer between scientists and planners have been largely episodic and localized. The presentation explores the reason for this and includes a sample of case studies in which meteorological research have made impact on municipal policies and design practices.