| Air pollution is considered the forth contributor to death worldwide and caused the death of more than 7 million citizens yearly according to the 2018 World Health Organisation (UN-WHO) report. Such pollution resulted from the colossal increase in population in cities and consequently huge augment in the buildings stock and related energy consumption, and in transport and factories, thus a significant decrease in green surface in urban areas. In addition, contributes to imbalance of the ecosystems and high greenhouse gas emissions in cities and forming urban heat islands (UHI) and climate change risks (CCR). Due to the absence of green areas, which is the main filter of air pollution, the problem of global warming; rising urban heat island effect (UHIE), and CCR in cities globally and its impacts on human health.
The research aims at developing a methodological approach for implementing green roofs on the top of existing residential buildings in Egypt, which contribute to air temperature reduction, energy saving, lower air pollution hence mitigate CCR and promote the sustainable development in cities. The study is based on hypothetical approach that “urban farms (green roofs) are an important model to increase green areas in cities and specifically in existing residential buildings in Egypt and above all one of the most practical solutions to mitigate UHIE and CCR.
The research methodology encompasses three systematic and sequential methods: the theoretical approach: monitor and review previous studies about the basic functions of green areas in improving the impact of built environment based on natural environment; the comparative and analytical approach: assess the possibility of integrating urban farms (green roofs) in the built environment and propose vertical green farms’ systems to enhance urban areas performance, then analyze the implemented green roofs models globally, regionally and locally, to identify the design considerations, policies, factors that influence their implementation to selected best criteria to be exploited for the case study of green roofs in urban areas in Egypt; and finally, the applied approach: study the application of green roofs systems on a selected existing residential building in three different climatic zones in Egypt by monitoring, analyzing and evaluating of green roofs application in Egypt using simulation – ‘Design Builder’, through monitoring, assessing and evaluating the impact of integrating the green roofs’ models in the case study and to identify the best criteria of these model for the three zones in Egypt.
The final part of the thesis presents the results of theoretical, analytical and applied research, conclusions, and the recommendations for the concerned governmental entities, educational institutions and researchers, as well as the suggestions for future studies as a bold step towards implementing urban farms (green roofs and green walls) in Egyptian cities.
| Abstract |