Evaluation of Thermal Comfort Comparisons in Residential Neighborhoods ( Case study: Ali Gholi Agha and Dashtestan neighborhoods inIsfahan)

Comfort is one of the key factors for urban open spaces to be used by citizens, so creating a suitable environment through protection against tough climatic conditions seems essential. Comfort is also a basic human need, and the way it is provided affects the quality of space. Due to the importance of thermal comfort in the quality of urban and neighborhood open spaces, as well as the impact of these spaces on comfort in residential exterior and interior spaces, this research attempts to assess and compare thermal conditions in open spaces of two residential neighborhoods with different physical structures and examine the comfort temperature and comfort zone for each. Hence, the neighborhood of ‘Ali-Qoli Aqa, located in the traditional fabric, and Dashtestan neighborhood in the contemporary fabric of Isfahan city were studied in terms of thermal comfort. Accordingly, Nicol’s method in level III and transverse sampling were used in field studies and setting the variables. The sample size includes residents and users of open spaces in the two neighborhoods in which four-hundred questionnaires were completed randomly within four days during the two cold and hot seasons. The standard effective temperature index was used to compare field observations with the results of calculating the thermal index. The results of the study show that although the comfort temperature and comfort zones are close to each other, at the same time they are different. Therefore, it can be concluded that it is because of differences in the type of structure and fabric of the residential area, as well as economic, social, and cultural conditions that the thermal perceptions of residents differ.