The influence of building height on microclimate and human activities in urban open spaces

As urban populations increase and tall residential buildings gradually define city skylines, their impact on microclimate and human activity in open spaces has become a critical matter for sustainable urban design. Despite growing attention to outdoor thermal comfort, most existing studies rely on simulation-based thermal indices with limited connection to real-world behavior. This study addresses this gap through investigating how tall residential structures affect both thermal conditions and actual patterns of human activity, such as walking, cycling, sitting, and socializing, in urban open spaces where both tall and low-rise buildings coexist. The novelty of this research lies in its mixed-methods approach, combining year-round behavioral mapping with microclimatic simulations using Ladybug and Honeybee tools. This study was conducted in Istanbul, which has a temperate Mediterranean climate, from 2023 to2024. The proposed methodology is a combination of experimental observations with software analyses which includes Grasshopper, Ladybug, and Honeybee based on environmental data to evaluate pedestrian comfort and space usability in different urban morphologies. The findings of this study suggest that low-rise areas have better thermal and social performance, while conditions in spaces adjacent to tall buildings are less usable. However, environmental variables such as shade, urban furniture, and wind flow play a role in these effects. Finally, this study provides practical guidelines for urban designers and planners to enhance both thermal resilience and social livability in urban environments.