Assessment of the effect of land use change on bioclimatic comfort conditions in Uşak Province

Abstract

Bioclimatic comfort is the state of people in which they feel comfortable, happy, and fit in the atmospheric environment they are. The bioclimatic comfort conditions of cities have changed depending on anthropogenic factors. The aim of this study is to compare the bioclimatic comfort conditions of Uşak city between 1990 and 2018. In the first stage, the bioclimatic comfort conditions of the city centre between 1990 and 2018 were determined according to the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) index obtained from the RayMan model by using hourly data of the meteorological station in the city centre; air temperature (°C), relative humidity (%), wind velocity(m/s) and cloudiness (octa). By using Geographic Information Systems in the spatial distribution of bioclimatic comfort conditions, calculations were made with base maps of elevation, land use, solar radiation, mean radiant temperature (MRT), and wind speed. In the second stage, the land cover was classified according to the general appearance for the period covering 28 years (from 1990 to 2018), and the rates of change were calculated. As a result, it was determined that the most comfortable areas are the agricultural areas, followed by the forest and natural areas, and the most uncomfortable conditions are in the artificial areas. Intense urbanization and construction have increased the uncomfortable conditions in the city. It is thought that the plans to be made by prioritizing bioclimatic comfort conditions will contribute to decelerating the climate change caused by global warming, as well as improving the existing problems.