Effects of anthropogenic heat on the urban wind-thermal environment in typical residential neighborhoods in Nanjing, China
- 1School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing 210093, China
- 2School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing 210093, China; Corresponding author.
- 3Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL 35294, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL 35294, USA
Abstract
Anthropogenic heat, such as heat generated by air-conditioning systems, has an essential impact on the urban wind-thermal environment in hot-summer and cold-winter regions. This study investigated the effects of anthropogenic heat on ambient air temperature and pedestrian-level ventilation rate across different seasons using CFD simulations based on six typical residential neighborhoods in Nanjing, China. The results indicated that the effects of anthropogenic heat on the wind-thermal environment of residential neighborhoods was more significant in summer. In summer, air-conditioning operation increased the pedestrian-level ventilation rate by up to 87.6%, whereas in winter, it slightly reduced the pedestrian-level ventilation rate by up to 46.5%. Anthropogenic heat created air temperature differences between the pedestrian level within residential neighborhoods and the atmospheric level. High-rise, slab-type building neighborhoods experienced less impact from anthropogenic heat. In summer, the probability of an air temperature difference below 0.5 K was 35.0%, while in winter, it was 27.5%. In addition, ambient air temperature differences were found to correlate with building density but not related to floor area ratio, surface area ratio, and sky view factor. These findings can provide a valuable reference for residential building design to mitigate the negative impacts of anthropogenic heat in Nanjing.
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BibTeX
@article{wang2026effects,
title = {{Effects of anthropogenic heat on the urban wind-thermal environment in typical residential neighborhoods in Nanjing, China}},
author = {Sizhong Wang and Kaiying Qiu and Zhi Gao and Hanning Wang and Fusuo Xu and Jialei Shen},
journal = {Energy and Built Environment},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.enbenv.2026.02.007},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbenv.2026.02.007},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of anthropogenic heat on the urban wind-thermal environment in typical residential neighborhoods in Nanjing, China
AU - Sizhong Wang
AU - Kaiying Qiu
AU - Zhi Gao
AU - Hanning Wang
AU - Fusuo Xu
AU - Jialei Shen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Energy and Built Environment
DO - 10.1016/j.enbenv.2026.02.007
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbenv.2026.02.007
AB - Anthropogenic heat, such as heat generated by air-conditioning systems, has an essential impact on the urban wind-thermal environment in hot-summer and cold-winter regions. This study investigated the effects of anthropogenic heat on ambient air temperature and pedestrian-level ventilation rate across different seasons using CFD simulations based on six typical residential neighborhoods in Nanjing, China. The results indicated that the effects of anthropogenic heat on the wind-thermal environment of residential neighborhoods was more significant in summer. In summer, air-conditioning operation increased the pedestrian-level ventilation rate by up to 87.6%, whereas in winter, it slightly reduced the pedestrian-level ventilation rate by up to 46.5%. Anthropogenic heat created air temperature differences between the pedestrian level within residential neighborhoods and the atmospheric level. High-rise, slab-type building neighborhoods experienced less impact from anthropogenic heat. In summer, the probability of an air temperature difference below 0.5 K was 35.0%, while in winter, it was 27.5%. In addition, ambient air temperature differences were found to correlate with building density but not related to floor area ratio, surface area ratio, and sky view factor. These findings can provide a valuable reference for residential building design to mitigate the negative impacts of anthropogenic heat in Nanjing.
SN - 2666-1233
ER -