Guldmann Publishes “Urban Design Strategies for Summer and Winter Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Arid Regions”

The emeritus professor’s article appeared in the Journal of Sustainable Cities and Society.

Guldmann Publishes “Urban Design Strategies for Summer and Winter Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Arid Regions”

City and Regional Planning Emeritus Professor Jean-Michael Guldmann published (with Elham Sanagar Darbani, Mojtaba Rafieian, Danial Monsefi Parapari) “Urban Design Strategies for Summer and Winter Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Arid Regions: The Case of Historical, Contemporary and Modern Urban Areas in Mashhad, Iran” in Sustainable Cities and Society. Guldmann examines the outdoor thermal comfort in Mashhad, Iran during summer and winter days by investigating the impact of urban form on pedestrian thermal comfort in three neighborhoods. 

As a result of rapid urbanization, concrete and other impervious materials have replaced soil and natural landscapes, and historical urban layers have been replaced by modern ones. The urban energy balance has been altered as a result of these changes, resulting in the urban heat island (UHI). Because of global warming and increasing urban density, the UHI effect has been amplified, with multiple negative consequences, such as increased economic costs, elevated cooling energy consumption , deteriorating air quality , and cardiovascular stress, thermal exhaustion, heat stroke and cardiorespiratory diseases.

Read more at Sustainable Cities and Society