Influence of canyon aspect ratio on microclimatic conditions: case of Lodz, Poland

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of the effect of height/width proportions of street canyons on microclimatic conditions in the most urbanized part of Lodz. The empirical research covered public spaces located in the so-called Greater City Zone of Lodz, which were included in the revitalization process. In this case, two street canyons were selected, which are used as pedestrian and driving canyons (the so-called woonerfs). At first, the authors determined the average weather conditions prevailing in the warm period of Typical Meteorological Year in the area of city. On their basis, microclimatic parameters prevailing in the areas of selected street canyons were evaluated with the use of computer simulations. The next stage included the determination of aspect ratio (AR) defining the ratio of building height forming the frontage of canyons to the street width. Finally, the relation between the determined coefficient and selected weather parameters was studied.