Influence of groves on daylight conditions and visual performance of users of urban civil infrastructures

Abstract

The control and efficient use of daylight is a difficult task due to its seasonal and hourly variation. Although it is matter of active research in indoor lighting due to the necessity to light human tasks at any hour of the day in a sustainable way, little attention has been paid to the impact of daylight on visual performance, safety and ergonomics of citizens, especially pedestrians in urban areas. This attention is even lower when dealing with the interaction between daylight and urban groves, which is an essential element in cities due to a wide variety of benefits like shadowing, CO2 absorption, natural aesthetics, noise protection and many others. In this work, the interaction between daylight and typical urban trees in one city with high levels of insolation (Granada, in southern Spain) has been studied. The results, conclusions and proposals for a more sustainable urban planning are analyzed and presented.