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The Role of the Design of Public Squares and Vegetation Composition on Human Thermal Comfort in Different Seasons a Quantitative Assessment

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  • Priscila Weruska Stark da Silva

    (Chair for Strategic Landscape Planning and Management, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Ramann-Str. 6, 85354 Freising, Germany)

  • Denise Duarte

    (School of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Sao Paulo, Rua do Lago, 876 Cidade Universitaria, São Paulo 05508-080, SP, Brazil)

  • Stephan Pauleit

    (Chair for Strategic Landscape Planning and Management, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Ramann-Str. 6, 85354 Freising, Germany)

Abstract

Increasingly, public open spaces are gaining importance for human well-being in dense, urban areas. In inner city locations, squares can provide easy access to greenery and thus encourage social encounters. Microclimatic conditions influence the squares’ attractiveness. However, knowledge is still limited on the impact of different layouts of squares, particularly the impact of the vegetation composition on the human thermal comfort across the seasons in temperate climates. Therefore, our research aims to discern how human thermal comfort is affected by the different elements existing in different open areas of Munich, Germany. For this purpose, five different squares were analyzed on five typical days to create an overview of how human thermal comfort is affected by the layout and vegetation composition during the year. The study areas were selected in view of their size, pavement type, and the number of trees. Micrometeorological simulations were performed using the ENVI-met V 4.6 model to identify how different aspects affect the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) on typical Munich days. The urban morphology was observed to be the greatest factor affecting PET in all the cases studied. Of microclimate variables, the surface temperature was relevant only on warm days. Long-wave radiation, on the other hand, positively affected the PET on cold days. The results suggested that urban morphology has a high impact on the human thermal comfort in urban squares. The results obtained showed that it is necessary to consider diverse vegetation arrangements combined with urban morphology characteristics to optimize human thermal comfort under a range of climatic conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Priscila Weruska Stark da Silva & Denise Duarte & Stephan Pauleit, 2023. "The Role of the Design of Public Squares and Vegetation Composition on Human Thermal Comfort in Different Seasons a Quantitative Assessment," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-20, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:2:p:427-:d:1059456
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stephen Siuyu Lau & Pingying Lin & Hao Qin, 2012. "A preliminary study on environmental performances of pocket parks in high-rise and high-density urban context in Hong Kong," International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, Oxford University Press, vol. 7(3), pages 215-225, March.
    2. Taleghani, Mohammad, 2018. "Outdoor thermal comfort by different heat mitigation strategies- A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 2011-2018.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lazar Mandić & Aleksandra Đjukić & Jelena Marić & Biserka Mitrović, 2024. "A Systematic Review of Outdoor Thermal Comfort Studies for the Urban (Re)Design of City Squares," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-44, June.
    2. Yiqing Su & Huan Xu & Xiaoting Zhang, 2024. "How Can Public Spaces Contribute to Increased Incomes for Urban Residents—A Social Capital Perspective," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-24, June.
    3. Ying Tan & Chen Li & Haiyi Feng & Junyan Yang, 2024. "Exploring the Land Cover Material Interaction of Urban Open Space on the Thermal Comfort of Crowds in High-Temperature Environments and Retrofit Strategies: Two Case Studies in the Nanjing Xinjiekou D," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-23, March.

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