Impacts of Open Spaces in Traditional Blocks on Human Thermal Comfort: Taking an Old Street in a Hot-Summer Cold-Winter Climate Region as an Example
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The microclimate of traditional blocks, a key component of urban fabric, directly affects the overall urban thermal environment. Creating a suitable microclimate is crucial for improving urban living quality. Field measurements, ENVI-met simulations, and the PET index were used to analyze the spatiotemporal variations and core drivers of thermal comfort. Temporally, five open space types showed a unimodal “rise–stabilization–fall” PET curve, with peak heat stress occurring at 11:00–14:00. Courtyards heated fastest, but green spaces had the most stable thermal environment because trees provided shading and transpiration for gentle cooling. Spatially, thermal comfort varied significantly. For example, green spaces rich in trees performed best (PET 5–8 °C lower than pure grassland), while squares and courtyards faced severe midday heat stress (PET mostly moderate or above). Alley comfort depended on aspect ratio and orientation—north–south alleys with an aspect ratio > 2 were 2–3 °C cooler than open spaces, but east–west or narrower alleys (aspect ratio < 1.5) and low-enclosed courtyard control apply to southern Hunan’s hot-humid zone. However, the synergistic principles can be extended to similar southern regions, providing technical reference for traditional block livability and climate-resilient cities.
Source: Buildings
Institution: Hunan City University
Language: English
Topic: Urban Heat Island Mitigation
Subfield: Environmental Engineering
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
Funder: Hunan City University
OpenAlex ID: W7117486504