Honours

Water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) has gained global attention, in landscape architecture as an evolving practice with historical use in Middle Eastern countries for cooling, water management, and aesthetics. As Design adapts to the climate crisis an opportunity is presented to implement historical water designs in contemporary cities and urban areas. A major issue that landscape architects face is the urban heat island effect where spaces are congested with buildings, no shade, and minimal blue/green infrastructure, where the hard structures absorb heat. However, tackling this issue over whole cities is an intense project. Focusing on the heat island effect within microclimates offers a more manageable approach. By incorporating water-sensitive urban design principles into microclimates, it becomes possible to mitigate impacts on a small scale demonstrating its benefits and influencing broader adoption.