The Impact of Urban Texture in Outdoor Thermal Comfort

This article discusses the impact of urban texture in outdoor thermal comfort analyzing the coastal promenade, in the city of Durres, Albania, as a case study. At the beginning of this research, it is provided an assessment of the existing urban texture. Then, field measurements about air temperature, relative air humidity, wind speed, dew point and thermal radiation, obtained at two parts of the promenade with different urban texture are presented. After that, the findings are evaluated in terms of urban thermal comfort. In conclusion, the findings have indicated that on 22 June 2013, surface heat island (SHI) is critically present in the afternoon. The well-studied use of different materials, green areas and water reduces the thermal radiation in promenades. In terms of urban thermal comfort, the results have shown that the arbitrary use of urban texture, such as in the case of Durrs Promenade, influences the outdoor thermal comfort.