Chasing Comfort in the Chill: Simulating the Impact of Opened Streamlines on Microclimatic Conditions, Thermal Comfort and Building Facades in Cold Climate Cities

This project aims to evaluate the impact of water surfaces on urban microclimate change and the presence of water in dense urban areas on the heating and cooling loads of buildings by proposing the rehabilitation of urban water resources. It mainly questions whether favorable outcomes for urban microclimate may be expected at the local level with the rehabilitation of water bodies and the contribution of repaired water lines to energy savings in nearby buildings. The analyses are made for Erzurum, the coldest climate city in Türkiye, by using the ENVI-met program, a dynamic simulation tool widely used for microclimate analysis. The analyses use the meteorological data recorded on the site during the same years’ summer and winter periods. The microclimate change caused by the green areas, which involve the opening of covered streamlines, was estimated, and the change in the energy load of buildings was quantitatively analyzed. The findings show that rehabilitation of water lines in urban areas improved microclimate conditions and provided energy-saving opportunities for buildings. Thus, policy-makers should produce more green spaces, including water surfaces, in urban areas to improve the adaptation capacity of cities and mitigate the negative effects of climate change.