Improving Outdoor Thermal Comfort in a Steppe Climate: Effect of Water and Trees in an Urban Park

Saeid Teshnehdel, Elisa Gatto, Dongying Li and Robert D. Brown
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Saeid Teshnehdel: Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Elisa Gatto: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, University of Salento, S.P. 6 Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Dongying Li: Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Robert D. Brown: Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Excess heat in urban environments is an increasing threat to human health and well-being. Furthermore, the increasingly important phenomenon of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) is exacerbating problems of livability in urban centers. Hence, there should be an increasing effort to assess the impact of heat mitigation strategies (HMSs) on outdoor thermal comfort in cities. This research has investigated how urban areas in steppe climate zones can be more thermally comfortable due to the effects of water bodies and trees, and how this might help to mitigate heat waves. Numerical simulations using the ENVI-met microclimate model have been performed for an urban park in Tabriz, Iran. In-situ measurements of air temperature (Ta) and mean radiant temperature (MRT) have been carried out in the study site and the collected data was used to validate the model (RMSE value 0.98 °C for Ta and 5.85 °C for MRT). Results show that water body evaporation without trees may decrease the air temperature, but on the other hand also increases the humidity, which reduces the positive impact on thermal comfort. However, the combination of water body with trees represents a better performance in the regulation of urban microclimate and thermal comfort.

Keywords: human thermal comfort; tree cover; water body; urban microclimate; ENVI-met (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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