The impact of urban geometry on outdoor thermal comfort in a hot-humid climate

Abstract

Appropriate urban planning and design are critical to the creation of pleasant and comfortable thermal urban spaces, promoting community well-being and human health. All these issues fall under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study aimed to investigate an effective urban geometry for enhanced thermal comfort, with a focus on street canyon orientation, aspect ratio (H/W), and building typology in the hot-humid climate of Port Said, Egypt. The ENVI-met simulation model was used to simulate environmental parameters after field validation whereas RayMan was utilized to convert data into physiological equivalent temperature (PET). Different thermal conditions were given by models with different cases. The results demonstrated that linear N–S and NW–SE with H/W = 2.5 is the most appropriate urban geometry in this climate condition. H/W has the highest effectiveness on thermal comfort followed by street orientation and building typology. The proposed guidelines may be useful for new urban development to enhance citizens’ overall well-being.