Effects of landscape patterns on the summer microclimate and human comfort in urban squares in China

Abstract

This research uses empirical data and supplementary computer simulation result to study the summertime cooling effect of different landscape patterns in urban areas in China. It employs field monitoring to collect hourly air temperatures and relative humidity at pedestrian level over five consecutive days in July 2016, and calculates the discomfort index for each scenario in studied urban squares. It also builds simulation models using Citysim and Meteonorm software to further explore the cooling effects of different landscape patterns within the same square. The results from field research show that the difference in cooling and humidification amongst the four landscape patterns is significant, as is the thermal comfort or discomfort caused by such effect. The research finds that the urban square equipped with only hard paving and no canopy coverage could cause extreme discomfort and heatstroke during summertime in the studied climate, whereas the urban square with lawn grass, high canopy closure and thick canopy can reduce discomfort. The simulation analysis further confirm that lawn grass can noticeably reduce the ground surface temperature and the surface temperature of the surrounding buildings than if using asphalt as the ground cover. The findings from this research provide design guidance for the landscape configuration of urban squares in similar climates.