Wind Effect on Microclimate and Thermal Comfort Index in Open-air Public Spaces in the Brazilian Rainforest Cities

Abstract

Amazon cities and rural villages came to fragment its green spaces, implying changes in the quality of life of its population. Despite clear warning signs, this picture of environmental degradation processes has affected flora and fauna with severe consequences throughout the forest, from points that tend to widen over time. Supported on a literature review of microclimate research in environments, which is based on the dew point temperature, another suitability has been formulated considering the importance of wind speed. By using computational records, when this variable is contained in the characterization of a person's sense of well-being in a given outdoor environment, a thermal comfort index can be established to assist in planning the construction of appropriate leisure areas, as well as identifying unhealthy environments. The results were obtained in different places, during drier summer months in the Amazon rainforest, around the city of Belém, located in the extreme north of Brazil. The best responses were registered in an environment characterized by arboreal architecture planning, followed by an environment with an intact vegetation forest.