Effects of urban development in microclimatic conditions in Thessaloniki

The urban planning, the buildings and covering materials of all surfaces, the distance between adjacent constructions, the height and the orientation of the buildings are some of the factors which affect the sustainable conditions in the city.

This paper presents a project that aims at investigating the influence of urban developments in microclimatic conditions. The purpose of the research is to investigate how the characteristics of built environment contribute the microclimatic conditions. The investigation was carried out in the urban center of Thessaloniki, Greece The urban geometry, the position and the height of the building inside the urban canyon, the orientation are factors that influence the surface temperature and microclimatic conditions (air temperature, wind speed, wind direction).  The results of the investigation could contribute at the urban planning and the sustainable development of the contemporary cities.