Analysis of winter thermal comfort conditions: street scenarios using ENVI-met model

Rapid migration to cities and the increasing demand for housing negatively affect living areas. Furthermore, uncontrolled population growth, industrialization, urbanization, narrowing of urban areas, and expansion of cities cause physical boundaries. Urbanization growth and the cold climate restrict pedestrian mobility in the city. Therefore, hourly microclimate data of the city center streets were collected 1.5 m above ground level in the winter period of 2019-2020. Then, different landscape design scenarios on pedestrian roads were investigated extensively using the ENVI-met V.4.4.2 winter model to determine the outdoor thermal comfort level. The RayMan model was utilized to generate the sky view factor (SVF) and analyze the mean values of the microclimate data. The proposed landscape design scenarios were as follows; (1) hard-covered street, (2) complete street coverage with a canopy, (3) street coverage with a semi-canopy, (4) sage of a combination of different plant species (30% deciduous, 30% coniferous, 30% bush), and (5) usage of ornamental pools in streets. The time period when pedestrians used the outdoor space was taken into consideration in evaluating and interpreting the analysis results. The findings of this study generally indicated that the semi-open canopy design provided roads with high thermal comfort such that people can walk and cycle in winter time. In conclusion, the thermal comfort condition of a street design, which is important for achieving sustainable urbanization, can be changed by making appropriate plan decisions. The findings of this study will help improve the outdoor thermal comfort in the first stage of urban planning and landscape street design for more livable and effective cities. This study emphasizes that a multidisciplinary team should work together to establish a healthy, sustainable, and livable urbanized area with thermal comfort in the streets.