Optimizing the Performance of Public Open Spaces by Enhancing the Human Thermal Comfort

Naguib, Nouran and Abdel-Salam, Hassan and Saadallah, Dina (2020) Optimizing the Performance of Public Open Spaces by Enhancing the Human Thermal Comfort. SHAPING URBAN CHANGE – Livable City Regions for the 21st Century. Proceedings of REAL CORP 2020, 25th International Conference on Urban Development, Regional Planning and Information Society. pp. 633-643. ISSN 2521-3938

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Abstract

Outdoor human comfort is a key parameter in the evaluation of city's liveability. In addition, it helps in promoting people’s health and well-being, leading to the improvement of quality of life. Egyptian cities are impacted by urban heat island due to the dense urban fabric causing an obvious deterioration in the quality of their public spaces. Open public spaces provide various benefits to citizens; as they may intensify the economic, social and environmental aspects of the urban environment. Unfortunately, some cities' open public spaces are unattractive to human activity due to the challenges they face. The enhancement of microclimatic conditions in urban spaces can enable people to spend more time outdoors, with the potential to influence the social cohesion of a space and increase in the economic activity. Therefore, the wider aim of this research is to develop a better understanding of the complex relationship between the microclimate and human behaviour. The study focuses on the open public spaces in Alexandria city's hot arid climate, It is intended to study the effects of socio-economic and cultural diversity on thermal comfort, behaviour and use of space. Field surveys are carried out during the summer of 2019 (19th of August). All of the surveys include, observations of human activities and clothing, along with microclimatic monitoring. The analysis consists of; microclimatic influence on thermal sensation, people attendance; and investigation of socio-economic and sociocultural characteristics for each space. The process is carried out in order to propose a set of recommendations and mitigation strategies, suitable to deal with public spaces. This set is driven by studying the prospects of successfully designed public spaces and mapping the variations in the environmental conditions using ENVI-met and RayMan software in two selected public spaces in Alexandria as a case study.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Thermal Comfort, Public Spaces, Mitigation Strategies, Quality of Life, ENVI-Met
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform N Fine Arts > NA Architecture
Depositing User:	REAL CORP Administrator
Date Deposited:	31 Jan 2021 16:15
Last Modified:	31 Jan 2021 16:38
URI:	http://repository.corp.at/id/eprint/597

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