Effect of local climate on territorial planning processes. Bioclimatic analysis of the Costa del Sol Occidental in Malaga (Spain)

Abstract

Faced with the excessive energy consumption implied by the adaptation of housing to achieve thermal comfort, this study researches the impact of local climate when making decisions about urban development strategies, as well as the degree to which it affects conditions regarding thermal comfort in the Spanish Mediterranean context of the Costa del Sol Occidental. To these ends, a territorial bioclimatic analysis was performed, identifying the existence of various local climates and the different biologic responses associated with each of these climatic conditions. With these results, a land classification is generated based on the perspective of bioclimatic suitability for human comfort. This tool has been used for the evaluation of territorial planning processes, concluding that 80,6% of urban and developable land does not benefit from favourable climatic conditions, which do exist in 47,3% of the analysed territory. These results may be useful in the design and distribution of future urban areas for improving the thermal conditions of cities.