Impacts of Water Bodies on Microclimates and Outdoor Thermal Comfort: Implications for Sustainable Rural Revitalization

Abstract

Water is the source of life and the fundamental element of ecology, and climate is inseparable from water. To evaluate the influence of water-adaptive space in a traditional Weizi (polder village) settlement on its microclimate, the authors analyzed the morphological characteristics of such a polder village and applied the ENVI-met model to simulate the impact of water bodies and village morphological elements on human thermal comfort. This paper demonstrates the positive impact of water bodies on improving the thermal environment of a village and regulating its microclimate by quantifying the impact of morphological elements of the settlement on microclimate. The results indicate that: 1) The simulation model fits the actual measurements well, and the simulation accurately reflects experimental results; 2) In summer, the cooling effect of water bodies is better in the afternoon than in the morning, especially from 12:00 to 15:00. The cooling effect is significantly correlated with the distance to water bodies, i.e., the closer, the better; 3) Building density and man-made underlying surface are negatively correlated with temperature, humidity, and Physiological Equivalent Temperature value, while greening rate and water body rate are positively correlated with microclimate. Overall, water bodies can improve outdoor comfort in summer and thus should be protected and developed in rural planning and design. Villages can be built around water bodies for a maximized cooling effect, and microclimate comfort can be effectively improved by increasing green plants near the village center, and reducing man-made underlying surface and building density. The results of this study will guide the improvement of the habitat environment in the process of rural revitalization, as well as the protection and re-development of traditional villages.

Research on the Indicators of Sustainable Campus Renewal and Reconstruction in Pursuit of Continuous Historical and Regional Context

“…Nevertheless, a single examination of the thermal environment and urban heat island effect in cities on the basis of urban morphology theory is insufficient [52,53]. The development of cities demands ongoing iterative renewal, and while the introduction of new technologies and instruments in the renewal process is essential, consideration should also be given to the quantitative study of block shapes based on the area's cultural fabric's heritage [54][55][56][57].…”

Thermal Comfort Improvement Strategies for Outdoor Spaces in Traditional Villages Based on ENVI-Met: Shimengao Village in Chizhou City

“…More specifically, they showed that the presence of a water body reduced the surrounding air temperature. During summer, the cooling effect of the water body in the afternoon was stronger than that in the morning, reaching its maximum effect between 12:00 and 15:00 [8].…”

“…In addition, street and square spaces were more comfortable than courtyard spaces because of the presence of ponds in square spaces and culverts, respectively. Water systems reduce the Ta and provide a certain level of humidity [8,44]. Water is also characterized by evaporative cooling, which reduces the hot Ta in the surrounding areas.…”

“…In this study, the focus was placed on thermal comfort in different outdoor spaces. In the past two decades, many scholars have examined strategies to improve thermal comfort, primarily through the arrangement of plants [2,3], selection of tree species [3,4], selection of materials for different reflective outdoor spaces [5][6][7], and creation of water bodies [8,9]. In 2016, Morakinyo et al used physiological equivalent temperature (PET) to characterize the thermal comfort of canyons by studying the influence of different planting patterns, arrangements, and orientation on the thermal comfort of street canyons and found that the PET value of double-row and east-oriented planting was higher than that of central planting [10].…”

The Evaluation of Urban Eco Drainage System in Makassar

“…In the implementation of drainage management in Indonesia, it is generally still using the old or conventional paradigm which is limited to the concept of channeling excess water as quickly as possible to water bodies. The main problem that occurs is the problem of flooding because it drains excess water faster, so the opportunity for water to enter the ground is reduced [2], [3]. Therefore, the condition of infrastructure during the dry season is drought and conversely, floods occur during the rainy season.…”