Urban Form and Thermal Comfort: A Comparative Study of Scattered and Grid Settlement in Cold Climate

This study investigates the influence of scattered (irregular) and grid (regular) settlement layouts on local climate and thermal comfort versus rural open areas. Research in Erzurum, Türkiye, utilized 2022 year-round on-site measurements, satellite imagery, and statistical analysis of climatic parameters and the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) thermal comfort index. Findings reveal distinct climatic responses: scattered urban forms consistently created cooler conditions year-round, exhibiting a winter cold island effect (−1.8 °C in December) and lower summer air temperatures (−3.4 °C in July). According to land surface temperature (LST) results, the grid urban form (−12.1 °C) is 0.9 °C colder than the scattered urban form (−11.2 °C) in winter. The scattered urban form (27.9 °C) is 1.5 °C warmer than the grid urban form (26.4 °C) in summer. The grid urban form exhibits a wind velocity range from 0.2 m/s to 1.2 m/s, and the scattered urban form’s wind velocity ranges from 0.0 m/s to 0.5 m/s. On the other hand, PET analysis indicated scattered forms offered more favorable thermal comfort. Average PET for scattered forms was 16.6 °C in summer and −3.3 °C in winter, compared to grid forms’ 15.1 °C and −4.7 °C, respectively. Wind velocity was a primary determinant, with lower speeds reducing heat loss and improving comfort in cold regions. This highlights urban planning’s critical role in optimizing thermal comfort across climates.