The Impact of Natural Elements on Environmental Comfort in the Iranian-Islamic Historical City of Isfahan

Kyoumars Habibi, Seyedeh Maryam Hoseini, Majid Dehshti, Mojtaba Khanian and Amir Mosavi
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Kyoumars Habibi: Department of Urban Planning and Design, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj 6617715175, Iran
Seyedeh Maryam Hoseini: Department of Urban Planning and Design, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran 1684613114, Iran
Majid Dehshti: Department of Urban Planning and Design, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Shahab Danesh University, Qom 3711687764, Iran
Mojtaba Khanian: Young Researchers and Elite Club, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan 6518764811, Iran
Amir Mosavi: Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 16, 1-18

Abstract: Cities directly influence microclimates. As the urbanization expands, and the green spaces diminish, the heat islands begin to emerge. An old technique used during the past centuries—in both hot and dry climates of the central cities of Iran—was the moderation of microclimates via water and plants. With a diachronic approach to the study of the historical Chahar Bagh Street in Isfahan, this paper investigates the impact of the structural changes on its microclimate in three different scenarios, i.e., the street with its features during the Safavid Era (from 1501 to 1736); the street in its current status; and finally a probable critical condition resulting from complete elimination of natural elements from the environment. The mixed strategy used in this study relies on logical reasoning and software-assisted evaluation for comparing the three scenarios. The predicted mean vote (PMV) model was used for measuring thermal comfort. The results indicate that the evaluated comfort-providing area in the Safavid scenario is 7–17 times more favorable than the others. Moreover, the temperature in the contemporary era was found to be 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler than that of the critical status scenario.

Keywords: urban microclimate; thermal comfort; cooling effect; urban hazard; natural elements; climate change; sustainable urban development; urban heat island; smart city; sustainable city; eco-friendly; global warning; natural hazards; built environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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