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3255730 
Journal Article 
Comparing the effects of urban heat island mitigation strategies for Toronto, Canada 
Wang, Y; Berardi, U; Akbari, H 
2016 
Yes 
Energy and Buildings
ISSN: 0378-7788 
114 
2-19 
WOS:000371842200002 
Increasing awareness of the urban heat island (UHI) effect
has raised attention about the outdoor thermal comfort in cities worldwide. Several studies in
the last decades have revealed how critical the UHI effect can be in a cold climate, such as in
Canadian cities. As a result, in Toronto, one of the cities experiencing the highest rate of
building development in developed countries, UHI mitigation strategies are currently the object
of extensive debates. This study evaluates different UHI mitigation strategies in different urban
neighbors of Toronto, selected according to their building density. The effects of cool surfaces
(on the roofs, on the street pavements or as vegetation areas) are evaluated through numerical
simulations using the software ENVI-met. Having obtained the surface temperature, outdoor air
temperature, mean radiant temperature, and physiologically equivalent temperature, this study
compares the possible mitigation of net surface radiation and thermal radiative power. The
results demonstrate that the duration of direct sun and the mean radiant temperature, which are
strongly influenced by the urban form, play a significant role in urban thermal comfort. Finally,
this research supports new policies for promoting sustainable urban development in Toronto, and
suggests design strategies for a more resilient urban planning. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights
reserved. 
Urban heat island; Microclimate simulation; Urban surface albedo; Cool roof; Urban vegetation