Regulation Mechanisms and Optimization Strategies of the Thermal Environment of Rural Road Spaces in Mountain-Adjacent Villages of the Loess Tableland Region

Under intensifying climate change and increasingly frequent extreme heat events, improving outdoor thermal environments has become critical for sustainable human settlements. While prior studies have mainly focused on urban contexts, systematic investigations of rural microclimates—particularly regarding the regulatory mechanisms of landscape configurations—remain limited. This study examines a mountain-adjacent village in the Loess Tableland region of China, integrating field measurements with ENVI-met simulations to analyze thermal characteristics of rural road spaces and the effects of vegetation and paving materials on human thermal comfort. The results show that village boundary areas experience the largest fluctuations in air temperature and relative humidity during midday and evening, indicating higher thermal sensitivity. Model validation demonstrates satisfactory accuracy, with RMSE values of 0.39–3.62 °C for air temperature, 1.32–3.22% for relative humidity, and 1.35–2.24 m/s for wind speed, and MAPE ranging from 0.80% to 9.05%. Furthermore, Basalt Brick and Populus alba show the best cooling performance, but when considering multiple factors such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed, Ligustrum lucidum has the most significant effects in improving thermal comfort and increasing humidity. Analysis based on Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) further indicates that vegetation configurations play a more substantial role in thermal comfort regulation than paving materials, and that different landscape elements exhibit synergistic and trade-off relationships in terms of cooling, humidification, and ventilation. This study provides quantitative reference for vegetation configuration and material selection in rural roads within the Loess Tableland region and similar semi-arid areas, enriches the research scope of rural microclimate studies, and offers scientific support for climate-adaptive rural planning and optimization of rural living environments.