Urban design with the wind: Pedestrian-level wind field in the street canyons

How to use urban design approaches to conduct the layout and basic design of newly-built high-rise buildings to reduce wind obstruction and create effective urban ventilation? Few studies have addressed this issue. This study analyses the effects of high-rise building on pedestrian-level wind in downstream street canyons based on wind tunnel test results and examines the suitability of an urban design specification. The height (H) of high-rise buildings and the airflow passage width (S) between adjacent high-rise buildings are key control factors for this issue; H/D=3 and S/D=1.125 are critical parameters and recommended values (D is the height of the downstream street blocks).