Thermal comfort on open spaces: Nove de Julho square post reform, Presidente Prudente - SP

• Grant number: 17/23474-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Architecture and Urbanism Technology
• Principal Investigator: Carolina Lotufo Bueno Bartholomei
• Grantee: Murilo Oliveira Ferreira de Araújo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Public open spaces are fundamental to the quality of urban life and its relevance to the population well-being is undeniable. However, they are continuously neglected and designed not taking into account the environmental parameters that affect the users thermal comfort, impacting the characteristics of its use. The main purpose of this research is to update a study done before, financed by FAPESP and named "Nove de Julho square: the thermal comfort in public open spaces at Presidente Prudente - SP" (FAPESP process 2008/11134-0), and to confront the results of both studies in order to verify the new conditions of comfort in this urban space, also evaluating if the reform was beneficial or not to the users comfort. The new data surveys will follow the same procedures used by project RUROS (Rediscovering the Urban Realm and Open Spaces) and adapted to the climate conditions of São Paulo State country side, monitoring the microclimate conditions and applying, at the same time, questionnaires asking the users about their thermal perception, sensation and preferences. The real thermal comfort will be obtained through questionnaires taking into account the possible psychological adaptations. While the calculated thermal comfort will be obtained through the PMV, PET and UTCI predictive indexes. Thus, it will be possible to verify and confront the new data, post-reform, with the data obtained by the previous study, pre-reform, identifying the effects of the new spatial, vegetative and material conditions on the calculated and real thermal comfort, in addition to detect the differences between the objective and subjective comfort situation. (AU)