Comparison of Outdoor Thermal Environment Optimization Strategies in Different Residential Districts of Xi’an, China in Summer

Residential district is the main type of urban land coverage, and the large scaled development with high density has a huge impact on the urban climate. In China, the methods of residential district design are diverse, which creating different urban typology and providing different effects to the urban thermal environment. This study aims to explore the thermal environment optimization strategies of residential areas with different development intensity (plot ratios) from the perspective of urban renewal and residential district design in Xi’an, China. In this study, residential areas with low, medium and high plot ratios in Xi’an city were selected for field measurements and environmental simulation for five proposed optimization strategies. By comparing the air temperature, mean radiant temperature and physiological equivalent temperature at the pedestrian height, the thermal environment optimization texture of each strategy was explored. The results show that the same strategy brings different optimization effects in different residential districts with different development patterns. The conclusion of this study provides suggestions for the optimization and reconstruction of residential areas, contributes to future residential area development and design.