SHADED AREA DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR URBAN PEDESTRIAN AREAS TO IMPROVE THERMAL COMFORT

摘要

Increasing the amount of shaded area is regarded as one of the most efficient strategies to improve thermal comfort in summer. The objective of this study is to propose urban design strategies using an analytical simulation proven to create better thermal comfort for pedestrian areas in a city characterised by a sub-tropical climate. Shaded pedestrian areas during the daytime in summer are simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. Thermal simulations and field investigations of thermal comfort are also conducted. The proposed strategies include installing sun shelters on buildings and planting trees. An improvement in thermal comfort was found on one side of the pedestrian areas under consideration as a result of the installation of sun shelters. Medium-size trees were found to provide a better walking space on both sides of pedestrian areas. However, they were not found to significantly improve the thermal comfort of the walking area. Finally, it was determined that the planting of two rows of medium-size trees on the median of roads provides the best thermal comfort for pedestrians.