The impact of the London Olympic Parkland on the urban heat island

The London Olympic Parkland represents a substantial area of redevelopment with the potential to significantly modify urban temperatures. This paper illustrates a neighbourhood-scale model of the type that can be used to analyse the impact of large developments on the urban heat island, using the London Olympic Parkland as an example. Using the Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling System Temperature and Humidity model, the impact of the urban surfaces for the Parkland area (∼16 km2) is modelled at a 400 m2 grid resolution for the pre-Olympic, Olympic and Legacy periods. Temperature perturbations from upwind values are simulated for the periods to estimate the contribution the Parkland has on local air temperatures. The results illustrate the impact that large impermeable features such as the concourse might have on increased air temperatures during Olympic period design conditions. In comparison, a Legacy scenario shows temperature reductions from the pre-Olympic period due to an increase in vegetation coverage.