Optimization at microscale level of climate-informed decision-making processes regarding human thermal comfort

Abstract

As urban overheating increases, adaptation strategies that enhance more comfortable urban spaces are needed. This study presents improvements in the methodological approach of outdoor thermal comfort studies and designs that will help stakeholders address such impacts. It advances in selecting the day type, creates novel surface indexes that consider climate change scenarios, and helps make climate-informed decisions. The first step concerns the characterization of the study area, including meteorological analysis. In the second stage, the research suggests multiple scenario simulations based on past and future typical heat days to examine the performance of trees, vegetation, materials, and buildings. The thermal comfort assessment relied on Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) and a novel intervention effectiveness index. In contrast, microclimatic simulations were conducted with CFD calculations (ENVI-met v.5.6.1). The results can be used to compare different design scenarios that rely on nature-based solutions and to optimize climate adaptation interventions during the urban design process.