Enhancement of city breathability with half open spaces in ideal urban street canyons

Abstract

The design guidelines for assessing the wind environment at the pedestrian level have become increasingly important in urban planning over the past few decades. The purpose of this study is therefore to conduct computational fluid dynamics simulations to examine the flow behavior of the aeration around the buildings, with and without an arcade design in an ideal situation in urban street canyons. The results suggest the effectiveness of adopting an arcade design to sustain a stable wind environment and improve the flow aeration over areas with urban street canyons. Computations are also carried out to examine the ventilation performance of the pedestrian pathway layer by varying the parameters of building height, canyon width, and height and width of the arcade. The simulated results are then further processed by using a multivariable regression analysis on a group of dimensionless parameters as well as visualization with the scaling law on arcade structures to facilitate a design for arcade buildings that would enhance city breathability. This correlation which uses multiple dimensionless parameters will act as a reference for future arcade designs.