Verifying an ENVI-met simulation of the thermal environment of Yanzhong Square Park in Shanghai

ENVI-met, the most popular numerical simulation software in microclimate research, performs well in researching and modeling of human settlements. However, its applicability to certain environments, especially central urban areas, has been questioned by scholars and practitioners. In particular, ENVI-met simulations of the internal thermal environments of urban green spaces lack verification. To address this research gap and provide theoretical support for planning and design, we selected Shanghai's Yanzhong Square Park as a case study for an ENVI-met simulation. Comparing the field-measured values to the simulated values, we found that ENVI-met struggles to reproduce the actual temperature distribution in the park accurately for three main reasons. First, the fitting index of the simulated and measured values is poor. Second, the maximum temperature difference between the areas of the park is much lower in the simulation than in the measured values. Finally, ENVI-met overestimates the cooling effect of grass. Therefore, it is difficult to simulate the thermal environment of a complex urban green space accurately using ENVI-met and the specific factors causing this inaccuracy need further verification. Although the limitations of the software are acknowledged during use, ENVI-met is still a helpful tool.

Automated summary

ENVI-met, the most popular numerical simulation software in microclimate research, struggles to accurately reproduce the thermal environment of a complex urban green space due to poor fitting index, underestimated temperature differences between different areas, and overestimated cooling effect of grass. Further verification is needed to identify the specific factors causing this inaccuracy. Despite its limitations, ENVI-met remains a useful tool in research and design.