Assessing the influence of neighborhood urban form on outdoor thermal conditions in the hot dry city of Biskra, Algeria

Abstract

The quality of the thermal urban environment plays a vital role in outdoor human activities and the overall quality of life in residential neighborhoods. This study investigated the influence of two urban form variables, the height to width ratio (H/W) and sky view factor (SVF), on three outdoor thermal environmental parameters (OTEP), direct solar radiation (DSR), mean radiant temperature (MRT), and air temperature (AT) in three neighborhoods in the hot and dry city of Biskra, Algeria. The research followed a three-step process: Three neighborhoods with varying urban form variables were selected, and field measurements of thermal parameters were conducted at various locations during the hottest period of the year. Numerical modeling, simulation, and validation using Envi-met were then performed to gather the remaining outdoor thermal environmental parameters (OTEP; DSR and MRT). Statistical modeling and regression analysis were conducted to investigate the interaction between urban form variables and OTEP. The results showed that increasing the H/W ratio by 1 reduces MRT and AT by 11.79 °C and 1.49 °C, respectively, while decreasing the SVF by 0.1 reduces MRT and AT by 4.173 °C and 0.479 °C, respectively.