Measurement of Thermal Comfort in Urban Public Spaces Semarang, Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesia reported a maximum annual temperature rise of 0.3°C in urban regions. Semarang, the largest metropolitan city in the province of Central Java, is also experiencing an increase in temperature due to climate change therefore activities in urban public spaces are disrupted due to the absence of a comfortable temperature. Urban design elements, including land cover materials, road geometry, vegetation and traffic frequency expressed significant effects on micro-climate. Measurement of Thermal Comfort in Urban Public Spaces Semarang was carried out s at the micro level as an old historical district The Old Town and Chinatown. This increment indeed influences thermal comfort level in its outdoor environments which are important for comfortability of outdoor activity. This study aims to analyse surface temperature through Thermal Comfort Measurement. Data was obtained by measuring air temperature, wind speed and humidity in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Inverse distance weighted (IDW), thermal comfort calculations and micro-climate model were employed to evaluate existing physical conditions of these settlements. The results showed both Old Town and Chinatown observed thermal comfort value above 27°C and are categorized as uncomfortable for outdoor activities. This research is contributing to the need to further develop public spaces to potentially adapt to environmental changes.

Climate sensitive urban design in cultural landscape

“…Old town is one of the cultural heritage areas as well as a tourist center located in the city of Semarang as one of the big cities in Indonesia. old town is a cultural heritage consisting of many colonial architectures on an area of 33 hectares (Kurniati et al 2021). This area is referred to as "The Little Nederland" because of the many historical buildings in the Dutch colonial style and the distinctive history of its formation (Pratiwo in Kurniati et al 2020).…”

Penilaian Komponen Kota Berkelanjutan pada Kawasan Kota Lama Semarang

“…Dalam jalur pejalan kaki di kota semarang, terdapat sebagai pusat kegiatan wisata sehingga dibutuhkan kondisi yang nyaman dan aman. Namun dalam pelaksanaannya, ketika siang hari jalur pejalan kaki tersebut panas [20], [21] karena tidak tertutup semuanya dengan pepohonan, walaupun pepohonan di jalur pejalan kaki tersebut telah ada. Selain itu, jalur pejalan kaki ini adalah penghubung antara aktivitas di kawasan kota lama, sehingga dapat menciptakan suatu kegiatan di lokasi tersebut dan membawa sumber perekonomian bagi masyarakat sekitar.…”