The key focus areas of the BASC Lab are listed below, and we welcome Higher Degree Research applications and industry collaboration in these areas:
- Bioclimatic Urban Design and Planning
- Urban Microclimates
- Climate-sensitive Urban Design and Planning
- Urban Comfort
- Sociotechnical Systems Thinking
- Systems Methods
- Urban Complexity
- Urban Ecosystems
Current research projects
Cool Urban Spaces for Public Health
Research team: Dr Silvia Tavares, Dr Jiawei Fu, in partnership with Sunshine Coast Council
The Sunshine Coast Council (SCC) is currently developing future climate heat-risk scenarios, to use internally as they consider how heat will affect service delivery, workforce, assets and infrastructure, natural ecosystems and economy, and so forth. SCC is looking to integrate human health impacts into these, and to achieve the aimed results data from urban climate modelling will be produced and extracted to be used in the development of the HeatWatch app for the Sunshine Coast.
Urban Climate and Artificial Intelligence: Evaluation of cool pavements and vegetation as urban cooling strategies
Research team: Dr Silvia Tavares, A/Prof Kelen Dornelles (University of São Paulo, Brazil), Dr Charith Rathnayaka, A/Prof Javier Leon, Dr Nayomi Kankanamge
The Urban Heat Island effect is recognized as the greatest phenomenon related to climate change, being responsible for serious socioeconomic and health problems, making city dwellers vulnerable to climate change and less resilient to its consequences. The use of cool materials as coverings, as well as the increase in green infrastructure in cities, has achieved important results in recent decades, being effective measures to contain warming in urban areas. In this context, tools for simulating climate conditions in cities allow estimating the cooling potential based on changes in the characteristics of the urban environment. However, accurate and robust simulations require meticulous detailing of the study area, which makes the process significantly slow to obtain results that can be extrapolated to other scenarios, and based on different interventions. Artificial Intelligence offers great potential to accelerate the process of computational simulation and identify strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change in cities. Thus, this proposal aims to investigate the use of cool coatings associated with vegetation in urban areas in São Carlos, SP (Brazil) and Sunshine Coast (Australia) with the support of Artificial Intelligence, as a way of adapting to the effects of climate change in medium-sized cities. To achieve the aimed results, different approaches will be used in data collection with 3D scanner laser mapping, field measurements regarding climate conditions and reflectance, simulations using ENVI-met and the development of a predictive Machine Learning model to extrapolate ENVI-met results to different scenarios. The proposed method presents an interdisciplinary approach, with the participation of Brazilian and Australian researchers with complementary specialties, who will work together throughout the project.
Urban Climate in Planning Education: An Australian Case Study
Research team: Dr Silvia Tavares, Dr Nicholas Stevens, Olivia Herrmann (Student)
In 2020, the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) declared a climate emergency, and in 2021 PIA called for every Australian state and territory planning system to undertake ten key reforms to become climate-conscious (more here). PIA Queensland, for instance, has responded with its ‘Planning to tackle climate change: 10 actions for a climate-conscious planning system in Queensland’ (read more here). Over the last decade, however, international studies have shown that climate knowledge has had a low impact on the urban planning process despite the abundance of scientific studies in urban climatology and climatic design. In this context, Urban Design and Town Planning are well positioned to make a meaningful contribution in ameliorating undesirable effects through climate-appropriate responses, as it is known that the orientation of buildings, composition and colour of surface materials, and types and locations of vegetation have major effects on the urban heat islands and on microclimates. These interventions can improve outdoor climate and facilitate the use of public spaces. They can also contribute to a better indoor climate and thus lower use of heating or air conditioners and hence CO2 emissions. Such climate adaptation can be influenced at various scales, and it is consequently important to address climate responsive design at different scales as well. To help prepare the new generations of Australian planners for the climate challenges they will face in their future urban planning and design careers, this study aims at identifying existing climate-responsive design and planning courses offered in the Planning degrees in Australia, as well as how planners see their role in responding to the future climate challenges, how much they know about the topic and how prepared they feel to face the urban climate challenges.
Urban Design Solutions for Ameliorating Urban Heat Island Effect in Townsville
Research team: Dr Silvia Tavares, Professor Karine Dupré (Griffith University), Dr Majed Abuseif (Deakin University); in partnership with Townsville City Council
This project provides evidence-based analysis of UHI in regard to urban form and design and people’s place experience. It also serves as a model for future projects to assess the impacts of UHI on human health and comfort. The project is currently focused on Ipswich and Townsville, both cities located in Queensland, Australia.
Concluded research projects
Urban Heat Mitigation through Strategic Street Greenery Arrangement (2020 - 2025) | Research Team: Jiawei Fu (PhD Candidate), Dr Silvia Tavares (supervisor), A/Prof David King, Professor Stephen Naylor
Publications:
Fu, J., Dupre, K., Tavares, S. G., & King, D. (2022). Optimized greenery configuration to mitigate urban heat: A decade systematic review. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 11(3), 466–491.
Fu, J., Tavares, S. G., King, D., & Naylor, S. (2025). Climate change impacts on public spaces: The role of street greenery in mitigating and adapting to urban heat. In J. Dolley, K. Hardy, & T. Matthews (Eds.), Public Space and the Sustainable Development Goals. Inclusion, Safety, Culture and Nature (pp. 115–124). Edward Elgar.
Urban Microclimates of Noosa (2023-2024) | Research Team: Dr Silvia Tavares, Dr Nicholas Stevens; in partnership with Noosa Shire Council
How cool are our green urban forests? (2022-2024) | Research team: Dr Silvia Tavares, Dr Nicholas Stevens, Dr Javier Leon; in partnership with Sunshine Coast Council
Bioclimatic urban design policy for improved microclimates in the public realm: A case study of extreme heat mitigation in Queensland (2021-2022) | Research Team: Ryan McNeilly Smith (PhD Candidate), Dr Silvia Tavares (supervisor), Dr Nicholas Stevens (co-supervisor)
Publications:
McNeilly Smith, R., Tavares, S. G., & Stevens, N. J. (2023). Urban design and planning for extreme heat: an empirical study of built environment professionals’ perceptions in South East Queensland, Australia. Cities and Health, 8(4), 653–665.