jaue2021-042: Effects of Commercial Blocks Design Patterns on Summer Micro-climates in Xi'an, China

Abstract

Urban commercial areas are developed with high-intensity and anthropogenic heat emission (AHE), which
directly affect microclimate. However, there are few studies have focused on commercial areas with high AHE.
Therefore, in this study, we select 2 typical commercial blocks in Xi'an, a high-density city in western China, to
analyze the correlation between design patterns and microclimates by measuring air temperature (AT) and relative
humidity (RH) at 13 points for 2 days in summer with dry weather. We select building sky view factor (BSVF),
building cover ratio (BCR), green coverage ratio (GCR), impervious plan area ratio (IPAR) as design indices. The
results show that during the daytime, the AT increased by 0.52°C for every 0.1 increase in SVF, and decreased by
0.57°C for every 0.1 increase in GCR. For each 0.1 increase in BCR, GCR, and IPAR, the nighttime RH
decreased by 2.7%, 1.4%, and 1.8%, respectively. This study indicates the coupling relationship between design
indices and microclimates for high-intensity commercial areas, and provides a reference for making urban
planning policy related to the mitigation of UHI effects in high-density commercial areas.