Extreme weather phenomena such as heatwaves, heavy snowfall, droughts, and floods have been increasing due to climate change, causing significant loss of life and escalating social and economic damages. Urban areas, particularly densely populated citi...
Extreme weather phenomena such as heatwaves, heavy snowfall, droughts, and floods have been increasing due to climate change, causing significant loss of life and escalating social and economic damages. Urban areas, particularly densely populated cities, are highly vulnerable to these disasters, exacerbating their direct impacts.
In urban areas, the natural land surface is increasingly replaced by impervious materials like asphalt and concrete, which hinder effective heat dissipation. Heatwaves are further intensified by seasonal climatic factors and urban heat island (UHI) effects. While flood management strategies have been developed from an urban management perspective, supported by long-standing knowledge of infrastructure development, there has been insufficient research on adapting to the increasingly frequent heatwave-related climatic conditions.
This study focuses on the failure of urban planning to effectively utilize urban microclimates, which leads to a decline in thermal comfort for pedestrians in outdoor spaces. Therefore, the study aims to explore design elements that can effectively mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. A comprehensive analysis was conducted on numerous papers from the fields of climatology and urban planning. The study investigated factors influencing urban climates such as urban axes, height-to-width ratio (H/W), urban form and layout concerning Sky View Factor (SVF), land cover, and greenery aspects, and institutional guidelines, evaluating how these elements have been applied to heatwave-prone conditions.
To select case study cities, the study used the Köppen-Geiger climate classification map to analyze the design elements of cities facing heatwave conditions. Selected cities represent hot, dry climates of the Middle East and tropical climates of Southeast Asia. The study examined and analyzed heatwave response design guidelines and practical design applications implemented in recent new town development projects in these cities.
The analysis revealed that at the urban scale, it is essential in the early design stages to determine the alignment of street axes based on seasonal solar radiation and the prevailing wind directions. Appropriate urban form and layout planning can create natural shading for pedestrian pathways, contributing to reduced cooling energy consumption. It was also confirmed that considering wind directions in land-use planning and utilizing green spaces and water bodies can reduce surface radiation energy.
At the architectural scale, diverse design approaches were applied to ground-level spaces that interact with the street. For example, mixed-use commercial buildings were designed with podium-style lower levels and pilotis at ground level to create shaded pedestrian streets. Planning to connect buildings seamlessly with urban streetscapes enhances the usability of outdoor spaces and provides better access to commercial facilities. Continuous streetscapes were designed with arcades in building facades to provide consistent shade for pedestrians.
In the context of temporary summer heatwave constraints, the importance of applying programmable urbanscapes with smart technologies is also highlighted. Technologies that can flexibly adapt to environmental changes should provide appropriate shading and temperature reduction effects without being excessive.
This research is significant in that it provides a detailed analysis of urban spatial design elements that mitigate the urban heat island effect and enhance thermal comfort for pedestrians in outdoor spaces.