FORMA URBANA E CONDIÇÕES DE CONFORTO TERMO-ACÚSTICO

ESTUDO NO BAIRRO DE CAPIM MACIO EM NATAL/RN

Abstract

The thermal and acoustic comfort of urban space is conditioned to several factors. Among them, it is possible to highlight the local urban shape and environmental aspects, such as climate and physical variables. This work aims at the environmental and urban shape characterization of the Capim Macio neighborhood, located in Natal/RN, to ascertain the existence of microclimates in the region in comparison to the overall values of the city. For this purpose, are considered quantitative variables, measured in loco, as qualitative aspects which determinate the analysis points chosen. Measures of temperature, the relative humidity of the air and sound pressure levels have been taken, according to the urban attributes such as the hierarchy of roads, afforestation, and sea breeze’s influence. The collected data were compared with the values of the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) and with the Natal noise map, allowing the creation of a general board regarding the local comfort conditions. The results show that variations in the hierarchy and road profile, as well as the existence of traffic engineering interventions match with the points of maximum sound pressure level. Meanwhile, the proximity of the dense vegetal mass and the sea breeze contributes to more satisfying values of temperature and relative humidity. The concentration of green areas, mainly on public spaces like squares, also influences the best environment conditions founded about the microclimates existent on the analyzed points.