Factors Affecting Microclimate and Thermal Comfort in Outdoor Spaces: a literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38027/jsalutogenic_vol3no1_5Keywords:
climate change, microclimate , urban climate , thermal comfort , outdoor spacesAbstract
Rapid urban development is a contributor to the ongoing climate change, leading to rising temperatures, frequent heat waves, and various environmental impacts. This created a pressing need for urban planning to consider the effects of thermal comfort, which greatly affects the outdoor activities as well as the quality and the mental health of the residents, in order to promote the development of more resilient and sustainable cities. The consequences of climate change result in thermal stress for urban residents, making it important to consider a wide range of factors, including climatic conditions (temperature, humidity, precipitation.), urban design (street width and orientation, vegetation, building materials...) when addressing outdoor thermal comfort. This led to the gain of interest of researchers to analyze and assess this phenomenon and provide solutions to improve people’s thermal comfort, particularly in outdoor spaces. This work highlights the key factors influencing thermal comfort in outdoor spaces, drawing upon a set of previous studies to address these challenges for the creation of urban environments that enhance the well-being of users and assist in the process of creating new public spaces to ensure their thermal adaptation with their environment. This review can provide a reference for scientific planning and construction of urban outdoor spaces to improve people’s thermal comfort.
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