Evaluation of Outdoor Thermal Comfort Based on Sky View Factor for Different Urban Morphologies

In the last decade, Outdoor Thermal Comfort (OTC) has become increasingly significant due to changing social and environmental conditions. The key physical factors influencing OTC include air temperature, global temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed, all of which directly affect the livability of urban spaces. One of the primary morphological indicators used to assess urban thermal comfort is the Sky View Factor (SVF), which represents the openness of an area to the sky. SVF plays a critical role in natural ventilation and heat dissipation, making it a crucial parameter for evaluating OTC.

This study aims to examine OTC variations based on SVF values for different urban settlement layouts in Elazığ, a mid-sized city in eastern Türkiye. Various urban configurations in Elazığ city center will be analyzed to determine how settlement geometry affects OTC. Following a series of earthquakes from 2020 to 2023, Elazığ has undergone significant urban renewal. However, OTC has often been overlooked in reconstruction and planning efforts. Given this context, the study's objectives are:

• To define the relationship between OTC and SVF for different settlement layouts.
• To identify optimal urban layouts based on SVF values to improve OTC in new urban areas of Elazığ.

The Rayman 1.2 software will be used to calculate SVF values at selected points, while Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET), Standard Effective Temperature (SET), and Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) will be analyzed to assess OTC. Furthermore, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations will be conducted to evaluate the effects of urban morphology on wind velocity, air temperature, global temperature, and humidity, considering Elazığ’s climatic conditions.

Keywords: Sky View Factor, Outdoor Thermal Comfort, Urban Morphology, CFD