Urban climatology and urban design, a history of (non) applied science

The modern city is unquestionably a producer of weather. Its buildings emit heat, its streets channel wind and modify solar access, and its entire configuration creates a distinct, bounded island of climate difference. Urban design in the large sense has pervasive effects on the microclimate and can produce variations in values of heat, humidity, wind and rainfall that exceed the worst-case predictions associated with global warming. Yet while scientists and policy makers acknowledge the city's role in contributing to the global carbon metabolism, awareness of its internal climate processes remains limited.