Planning for a more heat-adaptive mountainous village in climate change scenario: An ENVI-met approach

Rural areas are already experiencing the effects of global climate change, and promoting coordinated climate change responses between urban and rural regions is crucial for global sustainable development. However, rural areas-especially mountainous villages-lack adequate climate adaptation planning techniques compared to large cities. This study explores how mountainous villages can enhance their thermal adaptability through planning in the context of climate change. We developed a climate-adaptive rural planning methodology based on the ENVI-met software, employing a "modeling-validation-simulation-analysis-planning decision" process. The methodology emphasizes variations in built environment factors, including topography, building layout, green spaces, and underlying surface types. The study was validated using Gaodang Village in Anshun City, Guizhou Province, China, where we simulated the impact of different planning scenarios on the thermal environment of mountainous villages and assessed their capacity to adapt to global warming. Our findings show that topographic features significantly influence the distribution of temperatures during summer, while building layout affects thermal comfort by altering wind patterns. Green spaces are essential for regulating microclimates and alleviating thermal discomfort, and the type of underlying surface plays a crucial role in thermal adaptability. Based on these results, we propose targeted planning recommendations to optimize climate resilience. This study provides a scientific framework for climate-adaptive rural planning, emphasizing the critical role of planning in enhancing rural areas' ability to cope with climate change.