Human Thermal Comfort in Open Urban Spaces in a Hot and Humid Tropical City:

The Case of São Luís do Maranhão

Abstract

The city of São Luís, capital of the state of Maranhão, located in a humid tropical climate, has experienced accelerated urban growth, impacting its thermal comfort. Using the PET index (1999), the research analyzed two distinct urban spaces: the Downtown area and Avenida Litorânea. The results indicated that its urban planning model is harming the city's human thermal comfort. The PET index recorded average values of 30.7°C in the Downtown area and 26.0°C on Avenida Litorânea, highlighting thermal discomfort conditions in the central urban area. Another significant indicator of thermal comfort observed was wind speed in the Downtown area, where the average was 0.5 m/s, while on Avenida Litorânea it was 3.5 m/s. The study reinforces that wind is essential for thermal comfort in humid tropical cities such as São Luís.