Wind flow characteristics in high-rise urban street canyons with skywalks

In high-rise urban environments, skywalks connecting buildings significantly alter wind flow characteristics, influencing pedestrian comfort and safety. This study employs computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to investigate the effects of skywalk design parameters—including height from the ground, internal height, width, and wind direction—on wind velocity and pressure distributions. The CFD model, validated against wind tunnel data from prior research, utilizes steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with the Reynolds stress model for turbulence closure. Results indicate that increased skywalk height enhances wind acceleration by up to 38.4%, while reducing ground-level wind impact. Narrower skywalks amplify wind velocity through the funnel effect, whereas oblique wind directions reduce aerodynamic intensity by 20%–33%, improving pedestrian comfort at the expense of increased turbulence. These findings provide insight into optimizing skywalk configurations to balance aerodynamic performance and pedestrian comfort, contributing to sustainable urban infrastructure design.