Open-Source Integrated Mapping of Urban Form and Solar Radiation for Environmental Design

This paper investigates the possibility of using open-source data and GIS tool for the integrated mapping of urban form indicators and solar radiation in different urban textures. Two typical urban textures within the Metropolitan city of Milan have been selected as a case study in order to develop and test the novel method. The main goal is to associate significant data on buildings geometry and solar radiation to control environmental performance and renewable potential of urban areas and to promote evidence-based urban regeneration initiatives or self-sufficiency scenarios. The integration of open data in GIS platform, on the one side, allows to provide an easy-to-use tool for investigating urban solar performance (intended for specialists and public companies), on the other side offers a visual tool (intended for a wider audience of architects and planners).