The effects of different landscape strategies on outdoor thermal comfort in village squares: a case study in Dayuwan village in Wuhan City

Appropriate landscape configurations significantly mitigate rural thermal degradation. However, limited research exists on seasonal thermal comfort and the interconnections among landscape elements. Using ENVI-met software and field measurements, this study analyzed the microclimate of Dayuwan Village Square in Wuhan City. Fifteen design scenarios, including tree planting, building greening, albedo adjustment, and expanded tree coverage, were quantitatively evaluated to assess their impact on outdoor thermal comfort. Additionally, synergistic interactions between mitigation strategies were explored. The study found that increasing evergreen tree coverage by 50% has minimal impact on comfort during winter and spring. However, it significantly reduces temperatures in summer and autumn, resulting in average predicted mean vote (PMV) decreases of 0.315 and 0.643, respectively. Additionally, this strategy optimizes PMV values at 18:00 on extreme days, with a 0.102 decrease in summer and a 0.002 increase in winter. This research offers practical and sustainable guidance to designers for enhancing mitigation effects through optimal landscape configuration, providing a technical framework for rural environmental improvements. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.