Improvement of Thermal Comfort Conditions in an Urban Space (Case Study: The Square of Independence, Sétif, Algeria)

Abstract

Several studies all around the world were conducted on the phenomenon ofthe urban heat island, and referring to the results obtained, one of themost important factors that influence this phenomenon is themineralization of the cities which means the reducing of evaporativeurban surfaces, replacing vegetation and wetlands with concrete andasphalt. The use of vegetation and water can change the urbanenvironment and improve comfort, thus reduce the heat island. The treesact as a mask to the sun, wind, and sound, and also as a source ofhumidity which reduces air temperature and surrounding surfaces. Wateralso acts as a buffer to noise; it is also a source of moisture andregulates temperature not to mention the psychological effect on humans.Our main objective in this paper is to determine the impact ofvegetation, ponds and fountains on the urban microclimate in general andon the thermal comfort of people along the Independence square in theAlgerian city of Setif, which is a semi-arid climate, in particularly.In order to reach this objective, a comparative study between differentscenarios has been done; the use of the Envi-met program enabled us tomodel the urban environment of the Independence Square and to study thepossibility of improving the conditions of comfort by adding an amountof vegetation and water ponds. After studying the results obtained(temperature, relative humidity, PMV and PPD indicators), the efficiencyof the additions we've made on the square was confirmed and this is whathelped us to confirm our assumptions regarding the terms of comfort inthe studied site, and in the end we are trying to developrecommendations and solutions which may contribute to improve theconditions for greater comfort in the Independence square.