What are Local Climate Zones?
The Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification scheme was developed by Stewart & Oke (2012) to provide a standardized way of describing and comparing urban and natural landscapes in terms of their climate-relevant physical structure. wudapt.org+2wudapt.org+2
LCZs are regions of uniform surface cover, structure, material, and human activity, typically spanning hundreds of metres up to several kilometres. American Meteorological Society Journals+2wudapt.org+2
The scheme consists of 17 LCZ classes: 10 “built” types and 7 “natural / land cover” types. wudapt.org+1
How LCZ is determined / the components used?
To assign (or map) LCZs, typical factors or “urban canopy parameters” are used. These include:
Height of roughness elements (i.e. building height, vegetation height) wudapt.org+1
Packing / spacing of roughness features (building density, gap fraction) wudapt.org+1
Surface cover types around these features (impervious vs pervious, vegetation cover, paving etc.) wudapt.org+1
Thermal properties and materials (albedo, thermal admittance, material density, etc.) wudapt.org+1
Human/anthropogenic activity: heat generation (from traffic, buildings, etc.), which can vary by land use. essd.copernicus.org+1
Why LCZ matters (especially for ENVI-met / urban microclimate modelling)
LCZs help you characterize the spatial heterogeneity of a city: different zones have different building density, tree cover, impervious surfaces, etc. These all influence microclimate, heat retention, shading, radiation, wind flow.
Using LCZ classifications allows modelers to parameterize or calibrate urban canopy parameters (UCPs) more systematically. Examples of UCPs include building-height, building‐density, sky view factor, surface cover fractions, anthropogenic heat flux. wudapt.org+2Nature+2
LCZ maps or classification can improve comparison between cities, or across time, because the same classification scheme is used. It reduces ambiguity when saying “urban core”, “suburb”, etc.
The 17 LCZ Classes (overview)
Here is a summary of the LCZ types. In an ENVI-met project you might assign different zones in your model domain to one of these, or derive your zone’s UCPs from them.
Type | Name | Key Characteristics |
Built / Urban Types (1-10) |
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|
LCZ 1 | Compact High-Rise | High buildings, densely packed, heavy materials, little vegetation. |
LCZ 2 | Compact Mid-Rise | Medium height, dense, more moderate structure. |
LCZ 3 | Compact Low-Rise | Lower buildings but still dense. |
LCZ 4 | Open High-Rise | High buildings but more spacing / lower packing than LCZ 1. |
LCZ 5 | Open Mid-Rise | Medium height, more openness. |
LCZ 6 | Open Low-Rise | Low buildings, open spacing. |
LCZ 7 | Lightweight Low-Rise | Lightweight structures (e.g. small houses), low height, more permeable cover. |
LCZ 8 | Large Low-Rise | Big footprints, often commercial / industrial low buildings. |
LCZ 9 | Sparsely Built | Large spacing, low density. |
LCZ 10 | Heavy Industry | High anthropogenic heat, large impervious surfaces, possibly large roof areas etc. |
Natural / Land Cover Types (A-G) |
|
|
LCZ A | Dense Trees | Forest like canopy, high tree density, shade, evapotranspiration. |
LCZ B | Scattered Trees | Trees but more spaced, combining with open ground. |
LCZ C | Bush, Scrub | Shrubs etc., lower height, more open. |
LCZ D | Low Plants | Grassy or herbaceous cover. |
LCZ E | Bare Rock or Paved | Very low vegetation, high impervious or exposed surfaces. |
LCZ F | Bare Soil or Sand | Exposed ground without pavement, possibly with soil/sand. |
LCZ G | Water | Lakes, rivers, etc. |