Urban Green Spaces as a Solution to Urban Heat Island: The Cooling Effect of Sétif’s Amusement Park
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Abstract
The city of Sétif in northeastern Algeria has experienced rapid urbanization over the past three decades, impacting the city climate and thermal comfort conditions for residents, leading to the formation of an urban heat island (UHI) between the city center and the suburbs.
This research aims to study and evaluate the role of urban green spaces (UGS) in mitigating the UHI effect, regulating microclimates, and improving residents' thermal comfort. To investigate the role of UGS in mitigating the UHI effect, regulating microclimates and improving residents' thermal comfort, the methodology followed in this study was based on a measurement campaign conducted at Sétif Amusement Park and its surroundings during summer. While confirming Sétif's UHI, the park recorded lower temperatures and significantly improved thermal comfort compared to the surroundings. The urban park exhibited a significant cooling effect, with a maximal temperature difference of 3.3°C. Substantial improvements in thermal comfort indices were observed, including Predicted Mean Vote differences (3.30), Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (11.4°C), and Universal Thermal Climate Index (6.9°C), highlighting the park's mitigating impact on the UHI. These results demonstrate the potential of UGS to serve as cooling refreshment areas, providing relief from high temperatures and improving the overall quality of urban life.
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