Influence of street configuration on human thermal comfort and benefits for climate-sensitive urban planning in Santiago de Chile

Abstract

Global warming is a growing trend that challenges cities to adapt to future thermal conditions. Heat stress is one of the consequences that must be tackled through urban planning and architectural design by linking urban geometry and human biometeorology. The present research quantifies the effects of urban street configuration on human thermal comfort to formulate urban guidelines for city growth and protection of human life in the era of climate change. Meteorological data from a weather station (2010–2019) was used to assess thermal indices such as Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) in open spaces and in various urban canyon configurations. A parametric study was conducted using the RayMan model in two urban development schemes: in-filling and sprawl. Simulations applied to the urban canyon addressed aspect ratio and orientation using temporal analyses. Findings reveal a similar pattern of thermal conditions in both schemes, except for sprawl with H/W = 2.5. In the summer months, the east-west axis displays the highest PET discomfort value, while the north-south axis offers the highest PET comfort value. The pattern showed that the lower the aspect ratio, the greater the heat stress in January, but performance was stable in July with aspect ratio ≥1.5.