Impact of neighborhood morphology in tropical climates: a case study of the traditional neighborhoods of Kanyakumari, India

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22320/07190700.2025.15.01.02

Keywords:

morphology, residential area, climate, tropical zones

Abstract

The morphology of the built environment interacts with the surrounding thermal environment. Thermal interactions affect a neighborhood's energy demand and thermal comfort. The extreme temperatures owing to climate change demand intervention reciprocating in urban heating. Thus, this study analyzed the thermal interaction between morphology and the thermal environment. The study was conducted in the tropical city of Kanyakumari, located in India. The influence of aspect ratio, sky view factor, green cover ratio, and building cover ratio on the Universal Thermal Climate Index was studied.  A quantitative analysis of the morphological variables was conducted to establish a relationship with the comfort variable. The aspect and green cover ratios positively correlated with the climate index. In contrast, the sky view factor and building cover ratio had a negative relation with the index. However, when vegetation was introduced in the streets, the interaction between the aspect ratio and the index was reversed, where an increase in aspect ratio reduced the comfort in the canyon by introducing vegetation.

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Author Biographies

Monika Shankar, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India

Master of Sustainable Architecture
Department of Architecture, Research Scholar

A. Meenatchi Sundaram, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India

Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture and Planning
Professor, Department of Architecture

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Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

Shankar, M., & Sundaram, A. M. (2025). Impact of neighborhood morphology in tropical climates: a case study of the traditional neighborhoods of Kanyakumari, India. Sustainable Habitat, 15(1), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.22320/07190700.2025.15.01.02

Issue

V.15, N.1 (2025): June 2025

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Copyright (c) 2025 Monika Shankar, A. Meenatchi Sundaram

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