Hashemi and colleagues probed how design can influence urbanites’ quality-of-life. They report that to complete their “study [they] selected two different urban blocks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania–with high and low social vulnerability indices (SVI)–to compare their microclimate conditions in association with urban morphological characteristics such as green coverage area, sky view factor (SVF), albedo, and street height to width (H/W) ratio. . . . there was a strong correlation between tree and grass coverage and outdoor air and mean radiant temperature during hot seasons and extremely hot days, which in turn affected simulated predicted mean vote (PMV). The effects of greenery were more significant in the block associated with a low SVI, where nearly 50% of the site was covered by trees and grass, compared to only 0.02% of the other block associated with a high SVI. . . . reduced SVF, along with increased albedo and H/W ratio, had a beneficial impact on the microclimate at the pedestrian level.” Albedo can be defined as percentage of light reflected by a surface, such as sidewalks with higher values indicating more reflection. PMV is a measure of user perceptions of temperature.
Farzad Hashemi, Ute Poerschke, Lisa Iulo, and Guangqing Chi. 2023. “Urban Microclimate, Outdoor Thermal Comfort, and Socio-Economic Mapping: A Case Study of Philadelphia, PA.” Buildings, vol. 13, no. 4, 1040, https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13041040