An urban climate analysis of Graz and its significance for urban planning in the tributary valleys east of Graz (Austria)

In Graz, the capital of the Austrian province of Styria, located southeast of the main ridge of the Alps, an extensive urban climate analysis was successfully completed in 1995. In the following paper the most important features of the Graz city climate like the different local wind systems, the heat islands as well as the fog and inversion conditions shall be described and illustrated with the help of maps and diagrams. Furthermore, the description of the spreading conditions of air pollutants in selected inversion weather situations will shall play an important role. The results of the study, above all the map of city climatopes are based on the latter a map of planning tips serve as an important basis for urban planning and have already been used for the setting up of a land-use and development plan. Finally the paper will focus its interest on the exceptional quality of the tributary valleys east of Graz, where as a consequence of their highly significance for fresh air supply, a zoning into areas of restricted and banned construction has been carried out. This inclusion of climatological results in urban planning is unique within Austria and is now also being practised in other cities of the province of Styria.