Effective shading implementation for pedestrians in master planning

The solar radiation exposure of pedestrian paths impacts the walking experience; this is critical in assessing walkability in cities, particularly within the effort to promote healthy and comfortable urban environments for pedestrians. Practitioners can strategically propose solutions to improve the solar radiation exposure of pedestrian paths, however, the applicability of research about the effective implementation of natural and artificial shading devices is limited by barriers in communication and usability in practice.

This research was developed within the framework of the SOLOCLIM project, a European Industrial Doctorate aimed at elaborating solutions for outdoor climate adaptation between academic and industrial environments. The framework was implementing climate-responsive systems in master planning; it was then narrowed down to analysing the impact of solar radiation on the walking experience of pedestrians and proposing solutions to tackle thermal stress in response to insufficient shading. Specifically, the three objectives of this research were assessing the impact of the solar load on pedestrians, systematically simulating the changes in the user experience in response to solar radiation exposure and proposing a protocol for the effective implementation of shading solutions developed prioritising its accessibility by practitioners.

This research spanned across different areas, urban microclimate, outdoor thermal comfort, and climate-responsive urban design. A specific climate-responsive system was defined, combining solar radiation, shading solutions, and pedestrians. This selection was motivated by the critical impact of the solar load on people and the opportunity to adapt the urban morphology for providing shading; to do so, a systematic methodology and accessible tools are needed by urban designers.

Methods and tools for modelling and simulating microclimate and pedestrian networks were reviewed, and a first methodology was proposed. This was tested through a preliminary study, which provided meaningful insights for upscaling it at the neighbourhood scale; on this occasion, two user profiles of diverse walking abilities were defined, introducing the inclusivity angle to this research. Consequently, three research areas about specific aspects of shading implementation on pedestrian paths were defined. According to the adopted structure of thesis-by-publication, each research area was developed in a peer-reviewed journal paper; the three papers are included as chapters.

At first, the impact of the solar load on pedestrians was assessed, proposing a methodology to select a maximum threshold of solar radiation exposure before feeling exhausted during the walking activity. The users were characterised based on walking speed and physiology. Then, following an upscaling process from the user to the neighbourhood, the dynamic exposure to solar radiation of sidewalks was investigated at the neighbourhood scale. A pedestrian network was modelled for simulating walking experiences; various analyses were proposed to simulate the pedestrians' experience in response to the sun position, including the comparison between experiences of users characterised by diverse walking abilities. The third paper presents a methodology to design effective installations of shading devices, collected in a catalogue; the applicability of the proposed methodology in practice was a key objective, leading to define different exercises to employ the proposed iterative workflow.

The final outcome of this research is presented in the form of a protocol, formulated by combining the work presented in the three journal papers. The protocol for effective shading implementation follows an iterative workflow, allowing professionals to test and select design proposals; the developed design tool allows urban designers to implement it within their design process. The innovation of this research lies in combining the user-centred approach, the design-oriented analysis of solar radiation exposure of pedestrian paths, and the development of strategic solutions applicable by urban designers.