Sky View Factor-based correlation of landscape morphology and the thermal environment of street canyons: A case study of Harbin, China

Abstract

The street canyon landscape is considered important to improving the thermal environment and has become a key research topic in landscape architecture. Considering the Sky View Factor (SVF)—the regulation index for street canyon landscape morphology—and validated by field measurement data, this research conducted numerical simulations via the micro-climate model ENVI-met to examine the influences of different street canyon landscape morphologies on their thermal environment and the correlation between SVF and the thermal environment of street canyons. The results show the following: (1) The spatial urban form of Harbin, which forms an approximately 45° angle to the north and south, results in similar changes in the thermal environment in the southeast-northwest and northeast-southwest street canyons; (2) in the typical street canyons (with an aspect ratio of 0.5), temperature and mean radiant temperature (MRT) first decrease and then increase as SVF decreases, while relative humidity first rises and then falls; (3) there is a statistically significant quadratic correlation among SVF and temperature, relative humidity, and MRT of the street canyon; (4) in the landscape design of the urban street canyon in Harbin, the landscape morphology that includes a distance of 10.5 m between the street trees and the buildings and a planting space of 9 m between the trees is the most economical under similar thermal environment conditions. This study can provide a reference for landscape planning of street canyon in Harbin.