Impactos microclimáticos do desenho urbano: Estudos realizados em Curitiba

Abstract

This paper seeks to understand the relations between attributes of the urban morphology and changes in the microclimate. Two independent studies, carried out in downtown Curitiba, Paraná, are presented, from field measurements in 2009 and urban climate simulations using the ENVI-met software suite. Both studies, whereas dealing with the same physical area, have distinct objectives and workflows. The first study focuses on the impact of street geometry on the ambient temperature and pedestrian comfort levels in daytime, using the skyview factor as an indicator of the complexity of the urban geometry. The second study evaluates the impact of street orientation in relation to prevailing winds and the resulting effects of ventilation (air speed and spatial distribution) on the dispersion of traffic-generated air pollutants. The results show the influence of urban geometry on human thermal comfort in pedestrian streets and on the outcome of pollutant dispersion scenarios.