@article{fc512df0677c4c9486d43e318aef4747,
title = "Tradeoffs between water conservation and temperature amelioration in Phoenix and Portland: Implications for urban sustainability",
abstract = "This study addresses a classic sustainability challenge-the tradeoff between water conservation and temperature amelioration in rapidly growing cities, using Phoenix, Arizona and Portland, Oregon as case studies. An urban energy balance model-LUMPS (Local-Scale Urban Meteorological Parameterization Scheme)-is used to represent the tradeoff between outdoor water use and nighttime cooling during hot, dry summer months. Tradeoffs were characterized under three scenarios of land use change and three climate-change assumptions. Decreasing vegetation density reduced outdoor water use but sacrificed nighttime cooling. Increasing vegetated surfaces accelerated nighttime cooling, but increased outdoor water use by ~20%. Replacing impervious surfaces with buildings achieved similar improvements in nighttime cooling with minimal increases in outdoor water use; it was the most water-efficient cooling strategy. The fact that nighttime cooling rates and outdoor water use were more sensitive to land use scenarios than climate-change simulations suggested that cities can adapt to a warmer climate by manipulating land use.",
keywords = "climate change, sustainability, temperature amelioration, urban heat island, water conservation",
author = "Patricia Gober and Ariane Middel and Anthony Brazel and Soe Myint and Heejun Chang and Duh, {Jiunn Der} and Lily House-Peters",
note = "Funding Information: Abstract: This study addresses a classic sustainability challenge—the tradeoff between water conservation and temperature amelioration in rapidly growing cities, using Phoenix, Arizona and Portland, Oregon as case studies. An urban energy balance model— LUMPS (Local-Scale Urban Meteorological Parameterization Scheme)—is used to represent the tradeoff between outdoor water use and nighttime cooling during hot, dry summer months. Tradeoffs were characterized under three scenarios of land use change and three climate-change assumptions. Decreasing vegetation density reduced outdoor water use but sacrificed nighttime cooling. Increasing vegetated surfaces accelerated nighttime cooling, but increased outdoor water use by ~20%. Replacing impervious surfaces with buildings achieved similar improvements in nighttime cooling with minimal increases in outdoor water use; it was the most water-efficient cooling strategy. The fact that nighttime cooling rates and outdoor water use were more sensitive to land use scenarios than climate-change simulations suggested that cities can adapt to a warmer climate by manipulating land use. [Key words: water conservation, temperature amelioration, climate change, urban heat island, sustainability.] 1This research was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Grant NA09OAR4310140) and by the National Science Foundation (Grant SES-0951366, Decision Center for a Desert City II: Urban Climate Adaptation). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring agencies. 2Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Patricia Gober, Decision Center for a Desert City, Arizona State University, PO Box 878209, Tempe Arizona 85287-8209; telephone: 480-965-3367; fax: 480-965-8383; email: gober@asu.edu.",
year = "2012",
month = oct,
day = "1",
doi = "10.2747/0272-3638.33.7.1030",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "33",
pages = "1030--1054",
journal = "Urban Geography",
issn = "0272-3638",
publisher = "Bellwether Publishing, Ltd.",
number = "7",
}