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Modeling the Shading Effect of Vancouver’s Urban Tree Canopy in Relation to Neighborhood Variations

Yuhao Lu, Justin McCarty, Jeri Sezto, Zhaohua Cheng, Nicholas Martino, Cynthia Girling, Adam Rysanek, Sara Barron and Giona Matasci
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) March 2022, 48 (2) 95-112; DOI: https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2022.008

Article Figures & Data

Figures

  • Figure 1.
    Figure 1.

    Illustration of sample ALS (LiDAR) point cloud classes.

  • Figure 2.
    Figure 2.

    Canopy cover density calculation illustration.

  • Figure 3.
    Figure 3.

    Surfaces (façades, roofs, and streets) simulated in this work. The amount of solar radiation with and without urban canopies will be generated and compared for each surface type.

  • Figure 4.
    Figure 4.

    An overview of urban canopy conditions of Vancouver’s local area neighborhoods.

  • Figure 5.
    Figure 5.

    Sample canopy density estimates of (a) Downtown, (b) Downtown West End, (c) Victoria-Fraserview, and (d) Shaughnessy. Each polygon is an individual canopy delineated using ALS points and colored based on its measured canopy density (0% to 100%).

  • Figure 6.
    Figure 6.

    A bivariate (tree count and relative solar irradiance reduction) summary map of street-level solar irradiance changes (%) due to urban canopies. WPG = West Point Grey. DS = Dunbar-Southlands. KITS = Kitsilano. AR = Arbutus Ridge. KERR = Kerrisdale. WE = West End. FAIR = Fairview. SHAU = Shaughnessy. OAK = Oakridge. MARP = Marpole. CBD = Downtown. MP = Mount Pleasant. SC = South Cambie. RP = Riley Park. SUN = Sunset. STR = Strathcona. KC = Kensington-Cedar Cottage. VF = Victoria-Fraserview. HS = Hastings-Sunrise. RC = Renfrew-Collingwood. KIL = Killarney.

  • Figure 7.
    Figure 7.

    A bivariate (building height and relative solar irradiance reduction) summary map of roof-level shading results. WPG = West Point Grey. DS = Dunbar-Southlands. KITS = Kitsilano. AR = Arbutus Ridge. KERR = Kerrisdale. WE = West End. FAIR = Fairview. SHAU = Shaughnessy. OAK = Oakridge. MARP = Marpole. CBD = Downtown. MP = Mount Pleasant. SC = South Cambie. RP = Riley Park. SUN = Sunset. STR = Strathcona. KC = Kensington-Cedar Cottage. VF = Victoria-Fraserview. HS = Hastings-Sunrise. RC = Renfrew-Collingwood. KIL = Killarney.

  • Figure 8.
    Figure 8.

    Average solar irradiance reduction on walls/façades by neighborhood. Building frontal views are used to illustrate the distribution of building types, amount of buildings, and reduction (%).

  • Figure 9.
    Figure 9.

    Scatter maps comparing total neighborhood cover (%) to average solar irradiance reduction on (a) street, (b) wall (façade), (c) roof, and (d) all surfaces. Polygons are scaled to size and colored based on population density (1,000 people/ha).

Tables

  • Table 1.

    Radiance parameters were set to the “High” quality in Honeybee, with the exception of ambient bounces. Key parameters are shown here.

    Radiance parameterValue
    Ambient accuracy0.1
    Ambient bounces2
    Ambient divisions4,096
    Direct certainty0.75
    Specular threshold0.15
    Limit weight0.005
    Ambient super-samples4,096
    Ambient resolution128
    Limit reflection8
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Modeling the Shading Effect of Vancouver’s Urban Tree Canopy in Relation to Neighborhood Variations
Yuhao Lu, Justin McCarty, Jeri Sezto, Zhaohua Cheng, Nicholas Martino, Cynthia Girling, Adam Rysanek, Sara Barron, Giona Matasci
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) Mar 2022, 48 (2) 95-112; DOI: 10.48044/jauf.2022.008
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