Urban Climates is the first full synthesis of modern scientific and applied research on urban climates. The book begins with an outline of what constitutes an urban ecosystem. It develops a comprehensive terminology for the subject using scale and surface classification as key constructs. It explains the physical principles governing the creation of distinct urban climates, such as airflow around buildings, the heat island, precipitation modification and air pollution, and it then illustrates how this knowledge can be applied to moderate the undesirable consequences of urban development and help create more sustainable and resilient cities. With urban climate science now a fully-fledged field, this timely book fulfills the need to bring together the disparate parts of climate research on cities into a coherent framework. It is an ideal resource for students and researchers in fields such as climatology, urban hydrology, air quality, environmental engineering and urban design.

'This is a very important book for anyone interested in understanding the climates of cities - their characteristics, controls, causes and implications. Comprehensive, clearly written, richly illustrated, and with broad ranging examples and well documented sources of data, this is a book that should be read by researchers, students and practitioners interested in the urban environment, urban planning and design, and smart cities. Its presentation makes it accessible, valuable and insightful, to those new to the field as well as established experts. This book will be a classic reference that will stand up to being read many times.'

Sue Grimmond - University of Reading

'As an architect and urban planner, I find this scientific text by Oke et al. to be comprehensive, insightful and useful for my next project. It makes my job designing healthy and resilient cities much easier. It is a must for those who care about the future of our cities.'

Edward Ng - The Chinese University of Hong Kong

'Because the proportion of the world’s population living in urban areas is expected to approach 65-70% by 2050, it is urgent and timely to gain a comprehensive understanding of '… physical mechanisms underlying the workings of urban atmospheres… (Preface)'. The four authors, all world renowned physical geographers and urban climatologists, have created the ultimate book on urban climate for gaining this understanding, meant primarily for upper undergraduate and beginning graduate levels and for those in other related fields, such as urban hydrology, air quality, environmental engineering, and urban design. The authors suggest that the book represents '… the first full synthesis of modern scientific and applied research on urban climates …'. Of this there is no doubt, and thus it is a book of monumental importance for researchers, educators, and students of urban climate science and urban environments.'

Anthony J. Brazel - Arizona State University

'Monumental summary of urban climate, which could not be written by any other team of researchers than this, headed by the international face of the field for the last fifty years, Tim Oke. From its nineteenth-century beginnings, to latest research results, and then to its critical applications in weather forecasting, air quality, health, climate change, and planning, it will be indispensable for anyone interested in the subject, from students, researchers, and most importantly, planners.'

Robert Bornstein - San Jose State University

'This book is without peer in its field. Written by four of the most eminent scientists in urban climate, this excellent book is destined to become a classic and a fundamental reference for students, teachers and researchers alike.'

Nigel Tapper - Monash University, Melbourne

'A signature textbook has been lacking for some time now within the field of Urban Climate. We now have it. The content, quality and scope of Urban Climates are just what you would expect from some of the most respected urban climatologists in the world. I look forward to using it for my applied climatology in the urban environment class at the University of Georgia.'

Marshall Shepherd - University of Georgia and former President of the American Meteorological Society

'Urban Climates is a must-read for students and scientists. From climatology to urban planning, it is very clear and complete, from concepts and processes to practical implementation and adaptation of cities to climate. It is illustrated with explicative diagrams of exceptional quality and many examples of this 'collection of microclimates' in various cities. Beyond the clear and rigorous overview of the physics of the urban atmosphere, Urban Climates offers a fantastic travel through the history of climate in cities around the world, from preindustrial cities and before to modern high-rise megacities.'

Valéry Masson - Météo-France and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique