Climatic aspects of urban design in tropical regions

The paper describes the climatic characteristics relevant to urban and building design in hot-humid and in hot-dry tropical regions, respectively. It then discusses the different human comfort issues, the design objectives and the urban design elements which affect and can modify the urban microclimate. The design elements discussed in the paper are: location of towns in a region, density of the built-up area and building's configurations, orientation and width of streets, building design details affecting the comfort of people outdoors, and the design details of “green” areas.

The appropriate (from the climatic aspect) design details of the above urban design elements, and some comments on building design in tropical regions, are discussed with respect to each climate type. Subjects of needed research on issues concerning comfort and design problems in tropical cities, on which more knowledge is needed, are suggested.

The paper is based on a recent WMO Document (Givoni, 1989, WCAP-10, WMO/TD, No. 346).