Modeling of urban heat island effect on thermal comfort in urban open spaces, case study: ESTP Cachan campus

Urbanization is a significant concern, with over 55 % of the world’s population living in urban areas, and expected to increase to 68 % by 2050 [1]. Sustainable cities aim to address social, economic, and environmental challenges, improving quality of life, infrastructure, and economic development. One of the main challenges that face cities is climate change and a specific challenge called the urban heat island effect [2]. UHI is a phenomenon resulting in higher air temperatures in urban centers due to impervious surfaces, thermal capacity construction materials, and lack of permeable surfaces. Climate change increases UHI’s impact, with global surface air temperatures expected to rise between 1.1 and 5.4 ∘^{\circ}C, leading to extreme temperatures and frequent heat waves. Summer heat waves can be particularly dangerous, increasing air pollution and energy consumption [3–5]. This study aims to model the urban heat island effect and its impact on thermal comfort in open urban spaces. As part of the ESTP campus redevelopment project, a case study will be conducted on its campus in Cachan, based on buildings 3D models using ENVI-met software, as well as some data collection for building characteristics within the campus will be conducted for the study. Using the microclimatic data, material characteristics for the surfaces of the campus, and the vegetation data, ENVI-met software, and simulation of the model were conducted on a heatwave day to quantify the microclimatic data of the site. We will investigate whether the UHI effect on outdoor thermal comfort can be affected by the different manmade structures around the urban environment. In the continuation of this study, a framework that supports decision-making for stakeholders will be realized along with some sustainable solutions and scenarios that will be proposed to decrease any negative effect of UHI on outdoor thermal comfort that occurs in the results. [1] Nations, U.: 2018 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects, https://www.un.org/en/desa/2018-revision-world-urbanization-prospects, last accessed 2024/03/06. [2] Verma, P., Raghubanshi, A.S.: Urban sustainability indicators: Challenges and opportunities. Ecological Indicators. 93, 282–291 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.05.007. [3] Kaur, H., Garg, P.: Urban sustainability assessment tools: A review. Journal of Cleaner Production. 210, 146–158 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.009. [4] Keivani, R.: A review of the main challenges to urban sustainability. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development. 1, 5–16 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1080/19463131003704213. [5] Li, D., Liao, W., Rigden, A.J., Liu, X., Wang, D., Malyshev, S., Shevliakova, E.: Urban heat island: Aerodynamics or imperviousness? Sci. Adv. 5, eaau4299 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau4299.

Work In Progress