Recent Trends and Remaining Limitations in Urban Microclimate Models

Problems such as natural ventilation, pollutant dispersion, changes in wind environments, and urban heat islands are gaining increasing prominence in both public concern and research. In response urban microclimate modelling researchers are continually striving to develop new strategies to rapidly and inexpensively generate more accurate results. Numerical modelling is a common way to address these concerns. However, to generate realistic results requires significant investment in model creation, especially with respect to the detail to which a model is populated. This paper provides an overview about this and other recent trends within the research community by considering nearly 100 recent papers from 2010-2013. Major trends related to Comprehensive Turbulent Aerosol dynamics and Gas chemistry (CTAG) and perceptual fidelity.