Search Results (131)

Amid global warming and urbanization, outdoor thermal comfort has become a critical consideration in landscape architecture. This study integrates a systematic review and bibliometric analysis of 1417 empirical studies (1980–2024) sourced from Web of Science, aiming to clarify the current state of research, identify core themes, and propose future directions. This study examines key evaluation models, the influence of spatial morphology, and their practical applications using keyword co-occurrence, citation networks, and thematic analyses. Findings show a significant rise in research over the past decade, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Core themes include thermal comfort indices (PMV, PET, and UTCI), microclimate regulation, and important spatial indicators (height-to-width ratio, sky view factor, and greening). The field is increasingly shifting towards simulation tools (such as ENVI-met and CFD) rather than traditional field measurements, with artificial intelligence emerging as a tool for predictive and regulatory purposes, though its application remains limited. However, much of the research focuses on small-scale morphological optimization and lacks a systematic framework for spatial representation. Future research should prioritize developing a comprehensive evaluation system adaptable to diverse landscapes, investigating the interplay between spatial form and thermal comfort, and advancing sustainable, low-carbon design strategies. The insights from this study provide a solid foundation for improving outdoor thermal comfort and guiding sustainable urban development through landscape architecture. Full article

Improving microclimate conditions is a pivotal aspect of urban design, particularly in hot, arid climates, where it directly influences outdoor comfort, mitigates the urban heat island (UHI) effect, and reduces the indoor cooling energy demand. The objective of this study is to quantitatively assess the impacts of neighborhoods’ urban size when combined with compact streets’ geometry regarding the outdoor thermal comfort generated in a typical vernacular settlement of the Saharan region of Algeria. The Ksar of Al-Atteuf in the city of Ghardaïa is taken as a case study. The related interior thermal conditions of buildings assumed to be potentially affected by the urban morphology are also examined. To study the effectiveness of the two urban morphology parameters (i.e., urban size and compactness) on outdoor and indoor thermal conditions, a mixed methods approach was adopted, integrating in situ climatic measurements and dynamic simulations. Indoor temperatures were examined in a traditional house located in the core of the Ksar. Year-round operative temperature (OT) simulations were achieved using the Ladybug tool within Grasshopper, and they were complemented by the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) values calculated during peak hot and cold weeks. Furthermore, a parametric analysis was conducted, focusing on the thermal performance of the compact urban fabric by varying progressively the neighborhood sizes from 20 m, 40 m, and 60 m. The results indicate stable indoor thermal conditions across the monitored residential building, which suggests that the architectural envelope is closely affected by its immediate surroundings. On the other hand, the UTCI analysis revealed significant differences in outdoor thermal comfort since the larger urban area provides better mitigation of heat stress in summer and cold stress in winter, the improved outdoor thermal conditions generated at the neighborhood level, being proportional to the size of the urban area. The findings underscore the value of compact urban fabrics in creating climate-responsive built environments and provide further insights into sustainable urban planning and energy-efficient design practices in hot, arid regions. Full article

With the acceleration of the global urbanization process, more and more industrial plants are being abandoned, which puts great pressure on urban ecology and land resource management. These abandoned industrial spaces not only lead to persistent pollution problems, but also exacerbate the urban heat island effect, leading to a worsening microclimate. To address these issues, the concept of green infrastructure (GI) has emerged as a sustainable ecological restoration strategy, and it is an important tool for urban renewal and industrial land transformation. In this study, the landscape environment of the industrial site of Henrichshutte in Germany and the surrounding industrial plant was taken as an example, and ecological restoration and plant landscape design were carried out using the GI concept. Two climate simulation tools, ENVI-met and WindPerfect DX, were comprehensively adopted to simulate the environment of the site in detail. Based on an analysis of the potential temperature, PMV, wind speed, and UTCI data of the site, it was demonstrated that the plant landscape improved the microclimate of the industrial plant. The results show that the reasonable allocation of plants can effectively reduce surface temperature and building temperature, increase air humidity, alleviate the local heat island effect, and enhance the thermal comfort of the human body. The simulation results highlight the practical application value of the GI concept in improving the ecological benefit, social function, and landscape aesthetics of industrial land. This study provides a new idea for the ecological restoration and environmental optimization of urban industrial land through the combination of green infrastructure and plant landscape design, and emphasizes the important role of green infrastructure in alleviating the urban heat island effect and promoting the sustainable development of urban landscape spaces. Full article

In the context of urbanization, the renewal of old communities constitutes a crucial aspect for enhancing the living environment. Currently, the social benefits and utilization efficiency achieved through the renewal of such neighborhoods fall short of meeting the demands of society, urban management, and residents. Existing research on old community renewal predominantly centers on environmental beautification and infrastructure augmentation or relies on diverse data for interpreting and analyzing the current state of these spaces while overlooking in-depth investigations into the design methodologies for public spaces within old communities. This paper presents a comprehensive strategy, termed “Demands–Design–Verify (DDV)”. This paper selected an old community in Changsha City (China) as a case study and used the following: (1) a questionnaire investigation and observation (Demands); (2) parameterized simulation data and UTCI energy data put forward for the optimization strategy of aging community public space (Design); (3) space syntax, physical environmental simulation data, and a one-way analysis of variance to validate the effectiveness of the design (Verify). The research results indicate that the public space renewal outcomes of old-aged communities under the guidance of this method have positive effects in aspects such as solar radiation, thermal comfort, spatial accessibility, and pedestrian flow. The method exhibits universality and ease of implementation for public space renewal in old communities, thus providing scientific methodological guidance for urban residential renewal. Full article

As China’s urbanization progresses, the urban heat island (UHI) effect has become more pronounced, impacting the health of residents and the activity intentions of visitors within historic urban areas. This study focuses on the historic district of the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys Tourist Area (SFQX) in Fuzhou, where simulations were conducted on four representative streets across various times during a typical summer meteorological day. Typological methods were employed to simplify neighborhood modeling, and Phoenics software was utilized to simulate the neighborhood’s wind environment and the outdoor pedestrian thermal comfort index. Aspect ratio (AR), sky view factor (SVF), air velocity (Va), and universal thermal climate index (UTCI) values at specific locations were collected for statistical analysis. The findings reveal that: (1) the N–S orientation exhibits more significant correlations between Va, the UTCI, and street geometry compared to the E–W orientation; (2) the relationship between SVF and the UTCI fluctuates with time; (3) areas with higher AR values, such as medium and deep canyons, offer better thermal comfort for outdoor pedestrians; and (4) at 8:00, the UTCI and wind speed show minimal correlations with street geometry and direction, being predominantly influenced by objective climatic factors. These insights are expected to significantly inform the geometric design and planning of streets in Fuzhou’s historic districts, aiming to create more comfortable outdoor environments for inhabitants and visitors alike. Full article

Urban squares in historic neighborhoods are vital public spaces, often the only nearby option available for an aging population. However, these spaces face increasing thermal discomfort exacerbated by urban heat island (UHI) effects. This research focuses on improving thermal comfort for two case studies located in Seville’s high-density and historically rich Casco Antiguo neighborhood. Although their significance and social value make them central meeting points for locals and visitors, these squares face major challenges regarding thermal comfort, mainly due to a lack of greenery or adequate shading. This study examines the conditions by conducting in-person monitoring and simulations, identifying factors contributing to discomfort. On the basis of this, the research proposes mitigation strategies to address these issues. These solutions include the installation of green walls, the addition of canopies, and the application of specific surface materials to improve the conditions of these squares. Canopies provided the most significant cooling, reducing universal thermal climate index (UTCI) values by up to 6.5 °C. Green walls delivered localized cooling, lowering the mean radiant temperature (MRT) by up to 5 °C. The results reveal how these approaches can bring about changes in thermal comfort in a way that benefits historic city environments. Full article

Small green spaces are the most common type of greenery in cities, but very little is known about their impact on thermal comfort. It has been established that larger green spaces (large city parks, urban forests, etc.) have a significant effect on the formation of thermal comfort in cities. Conversely, it has been shown that this effect is highly variable in smaller green spaces (particularly those <3 ha). This study investigated the impact of smaller green spaces (<3 ha) of various categories (parks, squares, and street tree lines) on the thermal comfort of urban open spaces. In total, 18 green spaces in Belgrade were selected, where specialised meteorological measurements were conducted during summer and winter, and the PET index and UTCI were calculated using the RayMan Pro (Version 3.1 Beta) software. Research has shown that green spaces ranging from 0.9 to 3 ha have an average difference of 4.04 °C in the PET index and 3.27 °C in the UTCI. For areas between 0.3 and 0.9 ha, the differences are 2.32 °C for PET and 2.05 °C for UTCI, while for spaces <0.3 ha, the differences are 2.19 °C for PET and 2.12 °C for UTCI. In all cases, the values of the PET index and UTCI were higher in green spaces compared to areas without greenery, with differences ranging from 2.19 to 4.04 °C for PET and 2.05–3.27 °C for UTCI. It was determined that green spaces <3 ha increased the PET index by an average of 2.75 °C and the UTCI by 2.41 °C. The results of this study showed that despite their size, small green areas can significantly improve thermal comfort. This study highlights the importance of these green spaces and provides a basis for the planning of new or renovated existing urban green spaces to mitigate the effects of climate change in cities. Full article

A comfortable outdoor environment, like its indoor counterpart, can significantly enhance the quality of life and improve the physical and mental health of elderly populations. Urban spatial morphology is one of the key factors influencing outdoor environmental performance. To explore the interactions between urban spatial morphology and the outdoor environment for the elderly, this study utilized parametric tools to establish a performance-driven workflow based on a “morphology generation–performance evaluation–morphology optimization” framework. Using survey data from 340 elderly neighborhoods in Beijing, a parametric urban morphology generation model was constructed. The following three optimization objectives were set: maximizing the winter pedestrian Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), minimizing the summer pedestrian UTCI, and maximizing sunlight hours. Multi-objective optimization was conducted using a genetic algorithm, generating a “morphology–performance” dataset. Subsequently, the XGBoost (eXtreme Gradient Boosting) and SHAP (Shapley Additive Explanations) explainable machine learning algorithms were applied to uncover the nonlinear relationships among variables. The results indicate that optimizing spatial morphology significantly enhances environmental performance. For the summer elderly UTCI, the contributing morphological indicators include the Shape Coefficient (SC), Standard Deviation of Building Area (SA), and Deviation of Building Volume (SV), while the inhibitory indicators include the average building height (AH), Average Building Volume (AV), Mean Building Area (MA), and floor–area ratio (FAR). For the winter elderly UTCI, the contributing indicators include the AH, Volume–Area Ratio (VAR), and FAR, while the inhibitory indicators include the SC and porosity (PO). The morphological indicators contributing to sunlight hours are not clearly identified in the model, but the inhibitory indicators for sunlight hours include the AH, MA, and FAR. This study identifies the morphological indicators influencing environmental performance and provides early-stage design strategies for age-friendly neighborhood layouts, reducing the cost of later-stage environmental performance optimization. Full article

With the aging of China’s population and the liberalization of the birth policy, the country’s social population structure has changed, and the public activity spaces of residential areas are expected to meet the new needs created by such change. According to the existing literature, the most common population group in the public activity spaces in China’s current residential areas consists of the elderly with young children. However, how to evaluate the suitability of these spaces from the perspective of sunshine and thermal environments remains unclear. To fill this research gap, this article takes Xi’an as a case to explore the construction of an evaluation index system for sunshine and thermal environment suitability in the public activity spaces of residential areas for the elderly with young children. Firstly, based on field research and literature review, four initial indices were established, including sunshine demand hours, ultraviolet intensity, the universal thermal climate index (UTCI), and the wet bulb globe temperature index (WBGT). Secondly, on the basis of field research and expert interviews, these indices were revised and finalized, mainly with regard to the sunshine and thermal environment suitability for the elderly with young children in the urban residential area, so as to make the indices more in line with the actual research problems. Thirdly, a scoring method for each of the finalized indexes was proposed, resulting in a comprehensive evaluation index system. Finally, the suitability and operability of the constructed index system were validated through practical application in a sample residential area. The results show that, based on some known indices, the evaluation index system of the sunshine and thermal environment suitability of public activity space for the elderly with young children can be established. Its application is potentially helpful in making the public activity space environment in existing residential areas in China more adaptable to the needs of the elderly with young children. Full article

This study evaluates the cooling effects of small-scale water features and fog systems in Sangju Namsan Park, South Korea, focusing on their impact on thermal comfort. While previous studies have demonstrated the potential of urban parks in reducing temperatures, studies on small-scale interventions that examine their effects on thermal comfort and analyze microclimate data collected in specific areas are limited. This study collected and analyzed microclimate data using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and physiological equivalent temperature (PET) to assess the effectiveness of a small water path and a cooling fog system. The results indicate that surface temperature reductions reached up to 1.1 °C, with the pergola area showing the most significant cooling effect, lowering PET values to an average of 36.2 °C. In contrast, the small water path recorded the highest PET values, peaking at nearly 50.2 °C, likely due to radiant heat from the surrounding surfaces. While these interventions provided localized cooling, their overall effect on urban temperature reduction remained modest. This study suggests that small-scale water features are effective in enhancing thermal comfort in neighborhood parks but must be integrated into broader urban cooling strategies to maximize their impact. Full article

To optimize the outdoor thermal comfort and sunlight hours of elderly residential areas in cold regions of China, we collected data on streets and building forms from 121 elderly residential sites in Beijing. Utilizing parametric modeling tools to generate ideal residential models, a multi-objective optimization algorithm was applied to identify 144 Pareto solutions. The optimal solutions were analyzed using K-means clustering and Pearson correlation analysis to examine how block form affects outdoor environmental performance. The universal thermal climate index (UTCI) in summer showed significant positive correlations (r > 0.72) with the distance between buildings (DB), building density (BD), shape coefficient (SC), and coefficient of variation for building height (CVH), and significant negative correlations (r < ?0.82) with average building height (AH), floor area ratio (FAR), volume area ratio (VAR), mean building area (MA), average building volume (AV), and open space ratio (OSR). Winter UTCI was significantly positively correlated with AH, FAR, VAR, MA, and AV (r > 0.83) and significantly negatively correlated with DB, porosity (PO), SC, and CVH (r < ?0.88). Sunlight hours were significantly positively correlated with DB, PO, OSR, and CVH (r > 0.84) and significantly negatively correlated with AH, BD, FAR, SC, VAR, MA, and AV (r > 0.88). Courtyard and point-building configurations performed the best across all optimization objectives. (The value of r, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, ranges from ?1 to +1. r = +1: Perfect positive correlation, r = ?1: Perfect negative correlation, r = 0: No linear correlation). Full article

Slow progress has been made on the study of thermal comfort studies in rural streets. The street construction lacks a corresponding theoretical basis, and the difference between city streets and township streets leads to the situation that the increased focus on improving the thermal comfort of city streets has not been effectively transferred to township construction. Therefore, this paper takes Huilongba Village as the research object, researching the mechanisms by which the spatial pattern of township streets influences the microclimate. This paper defines the spatial morphology of township streets by three indexes: the street aspect ratio, building density, and staggered arrangement of buildings. Additionally, it analyzes the microclimate influences of spatial morphology changes on township streets, verifies the validity of the ENVI-met model through field measurements, and designs a three-factor orthogonal experiment. With the help of software simulation, allowing for an investigation of the effects of indicators and their interactions on pedestrian thermal comfort, the optimal street spatial pattern construction scheme is proposed. The results show that the greater the density of street buildings, the more obvious the cooling effect and the better the comfort; in the staggered arrangement of buildings, the higher the high point of the building is to the south, the lower the overall temperature of the street and the better the cooling effect; and the larger the aspect ratio of the street, the better the cooling effect. Through orthogonal test and ANOVA, we can obtain the relationship between the contribution of each index to air temperature and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) as street aspect ratio > building density > staggered building arrangement, and the overall thermal comfort of the street is the best when the aspect ratio of the street building is 1.5, the density of the building is 100%, and the south side of the building is higher. This study can provide a basis for rural street construction and thermal comfort retrofitting. Full article

In hot, arid climates, educational buildings often face the challenge of limited outdoor space usage. This research, through comprehensive simulation, aims to propose practical solutions to enhance outdoor thermal comfort, particularly during school break times and student dismissal periods, thereby fostering more comfortable and functional outdoor school environments. That will happen through achieving the main objective of the study, which is evaluating the suggested passive strategies. Riyadh was selected as the case study, and four representative schools were analyzed through simulation and optimization processes to identify key areas for improvement. The research leveraged simulation tools such as Ladybug and Grasshopper in Rhino, highlighting the practicality and impact of this approach. Simulations were performed to assess the existing outdoor thermal conditions using the universal thermal climate index (UTCI) and to pinpoint regions with elevated thermal discomfort. Passive design interventions, such as shading devices and vegetation, were explored and optimized using the Galapagos in Grasshopper. This methodology supports the originality of this research in its integration of simulation tools, such as Ladybug and Grasshopper, with optimization techniques using the Galapagos plugin, specifically applied to the unique site-specific context of educational outdoor environments in a hot, dry climate in Riyadh. Additionally, insights for urban planners and architects demonstrate the possibility of integrating passive design principles to improve the usability and sustainability of outdoor spaces. The findings indicated that fewer apertures in shade devices combined with greater tree canopies might double the effectivity in lowering UTCI values, thereby enhancing thermal comfort, especially during peak summer months. Full article

Urban public space comfort is essential for improving quality of life, particularly as climate change affects outdoor thermal environments. This study utilizes ENVI-met, a 3D microclimate simulation tool, to assess thermal comfort concerning demographic factors such as age and gender. The findings indicate significant disparities in thermal stress vulnerability among demographic groups. On the hottest day of July 2023, at 10 a.m., children’s PET values were approximately 2 °C higher than those of other groups. By 3 p.m., females experienced slightly higher upper-range thermal stress than males. Elderly individuals aged 80 exhibited a broad range of PET values, from 38.14 °C to 62.39 °C, with prevailing values above 56.9 °C, indicating greater vulnerability to extreme heat. Children aged 8 showed PET values ranging from 40.20 °C to 59.34 °C, with prevailing estimates between 54.2 °C and 55.7 °C. Minimum PET values for children were significantly higher than those for adults, suggesting a greater baseline level of thermal stress. Despite cooling effects in the evening, children remained exposed to more pronounced stress than elderly individuals, males, and females. The UTCI values recorded indicate a period of extreme heat stress for all demographic groups assessed. While individuals aged 35 may encounter considerable discomfort, the severity of the impact is notably more pronounced for both older adults and children. This study underscores the need for tailored management strategies and advocates for expanding ENVI-met’s capabilities to enhance urban resilience and well-being amid rising temperatures. Full article

Background and objectives: Forest environments provide various healing benefits for humans and have been widely studied. Nevertheless, the field of forest management for forest healing remains relatively understudied. The purpose of this study is to utilize thermal environmental simulation to derive forest management scenarios that are optimized for forest healing. Methods: This study focused on the Seogwipo Experimental Forest on Jeju Island, Korea. Three-dimensional forest models were generated based on field surveys. Thermal environment simulations were conducted using Grasshopper with the Ladybug and Honeybee plug-ins, and the thermal comfort levels of six forest management scenarios were evaluated using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). Results: The simulation results showed that, among all the scenarios, only scenario (c), “10% thinning in the buffer zone”, led to an improvement in thermal comfort. Additionally, the study identified discrepancies in thermal comfort between different forest management scenarios. Conclusions: In the management of forests for healing forestry purposes, the distinction of forest zones by use and the application of different forest management scenarios have thermal comfort implications. Thus, the methodology could be employed in forest management for forest healing purposes. Full article