Pedestrian Thermal Comfort of the Tactical Urbanism Project in Santiago's Historic Centre

Abstract

The Tactical Urbanism undertaken in Bandera Street during the last five years is in the heart of the historic centre of Santiago. A proposal for urban revitalization in an environmentally degraded area of offices and banks. The public-private transport traffic generated high vehicular congestion, noise, heat, and particulate matter. A functional and aesthetic improvement implemented a pedestrian flow, colorful artwork on the pavements, and furniture installation. However, the thermal aspect is lacking. The objective is to quantify the thermal comfort condition of the street during a summer heat wave. The methodology consisted of monitoring for three days for 6 hours, recording air temperature, relative humidity, globe temperature, and winds. The Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) index revealed thermal stress conditions, possibly accentuated by glazed facades and concrete furniture in public spaces, equivalent to energy dissipators and accumulators