EMERGING NEED FOR MICRO-CLIMATIC CONSIDERATIONS IN URBAN DESIGN PROCESS: A REVIEW

Abstract

The effects and consequences of climate change have been extensively considered in the urban design qualities. The climatic factors directly affect human activities in urban spaces, particularly in the pedestrian environment. The global issues on climate change could be well understood by understanding the contributions of climatic conditions towards thermal environmental discomforts. So, the roles and processes in urban design can be enhanced to reduce the impacts of extreme urban climate on pedestrian experiences. This current article focused on the systematic review of thermal comfort through urban designing, detailing the objectives, methods used, and the body of knowledge to deal with this issue. This paper also summarizes the current understanding and challenges in addressing the microclimatic analysis roles in human life by discussing the thermal comfort studies and literature regarding human, building, and city levels. Finally, this systemic study demonstrated the needs and potential assessments based on the quality and standardization of human-centric data collection and interpretation. It specifically addressed an urban planner's structure that could be used as an empirical method during the urban planning processes. In conclusion, the applications of the recommended methods identified in this study aid in the design decisions to shift towards climate comfort in urban spaces.