Urban Agglomerations winter term 2023/224 Master thesis

Expose draft
Tanay Bhaskar

Research Topic: Optimizing Open Space in response to Climate Change.

Sub-topic: A case study on Mumbai

Abstract: Urban open spaces in and around cities have begun to receive more attention
from the general public as a result of recent efforts to promote sustainable urban design
and the growing demand for public interventions to improve well-being and health
(Leboeuf, Carvalho, Kestens, & Thierry, 2023). One of the biggest challenge society faces
right now is climate change. Majority of the population that now live in cities are
experiencing the effects of climate change as the frequency of heat waves, droughts,
and flooding increases (United Nations, 2023). Another major concern for cities of around
the world is the rapid urbanization which in turn leads to scarcity of land resources and
green cover (Cetin, 2015). Lack of urban open spaces may lead to negative social and
physical impacts on the inhabitants in these rapidly developing cities (Gupta, Roy, Luthra,
Maithani, & Mahavir, 2016) However, the majority of urban open spaces planned and
developed, do not have the optimal balance of functional use, ecological stability, social
value, and economic sustainability (Dhote & Khurana, 2012) (Ajrina & Kustiwan, 2019) (Yan
& Tang, 2021) (Massaro, et al., 2023). To mitigate this fragmented development, a
comprehensive multidisciplinary strategy to functional, ecological, and socioeconomic
factors needs to be developed and implemented. Therefore, the primary goal of this
research is to create a multi-objective optimisation model to maximise environmental
benefits. Additionally, this study makes an effort to evaluate the model using actual data
from typical sites in the Mumbai metropolitan area

Need for the study: Urban green infrastructure in the city is experiencing problems due to
the growth, size, the economic conditions of the city. Urbanization is the driver for extreme
weather and climatic conditions due to the construction of buildings, roads, squares,
which results in increasing the air and surface temperature in the city (Paolo, Roser, Payam,
& Esteve, 2020). The notion to recreate urban open spaces so they are resilient against
future climate changes in Indian cities is crucial, despite the fact that they significantly
contribute to society in terms of social, educational, cultural, and environmental aspects
(Collins, 2015). This study aims to redevelop the public green spaces through ecosystem
based approaches providing benefits for both human-beings and biodiversity. Scope and
Limitations: The main objective by addressing environmental optimisation, urban open
spaces can be fully realized as key assets that promote the quality of life, ecological
health, and economic vibrancy of urban areas (Ajrina & Kustiwan, 2019). As a result, the
purpose of this research is to look into the possibilities of optimizing the specific needs that
provide an optimal solution for the construction and operation of urban green areas by
way of maximize environmental benefits while remaining within the confines of a finite
urban metropolitan area and Budgets for municipalities.

Table of Contents

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Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Background and Context

1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Objectives of the Study
1.4 Significance of the Study
1.5 Scope and Limitations

Chapter 2 Literature Review

2.1 Understanding the term Urban open spaces

2.2 Climate Change Impacts on Urban Open Spaces
2.3 The Role of Open Spaces in Climate Resilience Global
2.4 Social and Health Benefits of Open Spaces
2.5 Understanding Climate Change Effects.
2.6 Types and Functions of Open Spaces

Chapter 3 Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Mumbai

3.1 Mumbai Demographic context

3.1.1 Urbanization Pressures and Population Density
3.2 Understanding Current Climate Trends in Mumbai
3.3 Characteristics of Mumbai City Relevant to Open Space Optimization
3.4 Identification of Key Climate Change Indicators risks in Mumbai
3.4.1 Rising Temperatures and Urban Heat Island Effect
3.4.2 Changes in Precipitation Patterns and Flooding Risks
3.4.3 Landslide Risk
3.4.4 Coastal Risks
3.4.5 Air Pollution Risk
3.5 Vulnerability of Open Spaces in Mumbai to Climate Change and air pollution
3.6 Impact Analysis
3.6.1 Impact on Lives
3.6.2 Impact on Livelihoods
3.6.3 Impact on Services
3.7 Identification of High-Risk Areas in Mumbai

Chapter 4 Best Practices Examples from Different Cities

4.1 Singapore, Singapore

4.2 São Paulo, Brazil

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4.3 Bangalore, Karnataka

4.3.1 Why Bangalore, Karnataka?
4.4 Lessons Learned and Applicability to Mumbai city from the best practices.

Chapter 5 Optimizing Open Spaces in Mumbai

5.1 Best Practices in Mumbai's Context

5.2 Adaptation Strategies and solutions for Climate-Responsive Open Spaces to Mumbai's
Characteristics
5.3 Implications for Mumbai's Future Urban Planning
5.4 Recommendations for Policy, Planning, and Implementation

Chapter 6 Conclusion

6.1 Summary of Findings

6.2 Contributions to Knowledge
6.3 Recommendations for Mumbai's Open Space Planning

Chapter 7 References

Dhote, M., & Khurana, K. S. (2012). Mathematical modeling of environmental optimization of urban
green systems: with an emphasis on biodiversity and environmental conservation. International
Conference on Soft Computing for Problem Solving (SocProS 2011) (p. 13). New Delhi: Springer India.
doi:10.1007/978-81-322-0487-9_8

Dhanapal Govindarajulu (2014). Urban green space planning for climate adaptation in Indian cities.
[online] ResearchGate. Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268690352_Urban_green_space_planning_for_climate_a
daptation_in_Indian_cities [Accessed 23 Oct. 2023].

Knobel, P., Maneja, R., Bartoll, X., Alonso, L., Bauwelinck, M., Valentin, A., ... & Dadvand, P. (2020).
Quality of urban open spaces influences residents' use of these spaces, physical activity, and
overnight/obesity. Environmental Pollution, 271, 1-9.

Leboeuf, C., Carvalho, M., Kestens, Y., & Thierry, B. (2023). Optimization of the location and design of
urban open spaces. New York: Cornell University. doi:10.48550/arXiv.2303.07202

Nations, U. (2023). Key Findings | United Nations. [online] United Nations. Available at:
https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/key-findings [Accessed 23 Oct. 2023].

Pavla Pekárová, Jakub Mészáros, Pavol Miklánek, Ján Pekár, Siman, C., & Podolinská, J. (2021). Post

flood field investigation of the June 2020 flash flood in the upper Muráň River basin and the

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catastrophic flash flood scenario. Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics, 69(3), 288–299.

https://doi.org/%22,

Fang, Z., Lin, Z., Cheuk Ming Mak, Niu, J., & Tse, K. T. (2018). Investigation into sensitivities of factors in

outdoor thermal comfort indices. Building and Environment, 128, 129–142.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2017.11.028

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