Automated classification of planning objectives for the consideration of climate and air quality in urban and regional planning for the example of the region of Basel/Switzerland

Abstract The project ‘Climate Analysis of the Region of Basel’ (KABA) was carried out in cooperation with several planning authorities to produce climate analysis and planning recommendation maps at scales of 1 : 100,000 and 1 : 25,000. These maps enable urban and regional planners to estimate impacts of land-use changes on local climate and air quality. Conceptual numerical models receiving spatially distributed input data from a geographic information system derived the information content of the maps. By introducing novel concepts concerning land-use and ventilation, the dominant controls for local climate and air quality, automated, knowledge-based classification schemes for climate analysis were developed and applied. The same model technique was utilized for a spatially distributed assignment of planning objectives to the study region. Three different problem sections are considered: ventilation, air quality and thermal situation. Several planning objectives were distinguished within each problem section, and each element of a 100 m grid was individually evaluated by automated, knowledge-based classification procedures. This approach provides a high degree of transparency and objectivity in place of subjective (and thus irreproducible) assessments by experts. Transfer of the procedures to other regions could be successfully demonstrated in a project named ‘Climate Analysis Maps for Planning Aspects of Solothurn/CH (CAMPAS/CH)’ funded by European Space Agency. Hence, the approach is of general interest, at least for many densely populated regions at mid-latitudes.