Impact of Urban Formation on Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Campuses (The Campus of University of Baghdad as a Model)

Abstract

Thermal comfort in university outdoor spaces is considered a fundamental requirement for achieving sustainable and livable environments that support the diversity of student activities and events through the effective influence of the physical and morphological structures of the university environment. The research problem emerged from the lack of knowledge about the impact of urban formation on thermal comfort in outdoor university spaces. The research hypothesized that changes in urban formation have a significant impact on the levels of thermal sensation experienced by campus users. The research aims to develop a theoretical framework that clarifies the relationship between urban formation and outdoor thermal comfort. The research adopted a descriptive approach and an analytical study to explore the relationship between urban formative indicators and the levels of thermal sensation. These factors were analyzed through a comparative evaluation of the values of the predicted mean vote (PMV) index between 1989 and 2024, using environmental simulation (ENVI-met v.5.7.1) to measure the impact of formation changes over time. The results confirmed that the decrease in green coverage and open spaces, along with the increase in paving and external wall areas, contributes to increased heat stress in university outdoor spaces.