Thermal comfort for outdoor space is important because it accommodate important outdoor activities. Immediate open spaces to buildings in urban areas where these activities take place are often affected by vertical surfaces of buildings. These surfaces may provide shade for outdoor open space, it may reduce or increase wind speed, which ultimately affects thermal comfort of that space. It is quite evident that Indian cities are facing thermal discomfort in outdoor areas. If we can make indoor spaces comfortable why not outdoor spaces also equally comfortable? This paper discusses possible reasons for the effect of vertical urban surfaces on outdoor thermal comfort. The role of vertical surfaces in thermal discomfort remained unresolved, unobserved, unexplored and unapplied at the neighborhood scale. Vertical surfaces are unobserved by conventional remote sensing technologies and usually only top of the structure is considered when it comes to the study of urban heat islands studies. The research will contribute to understanding the causes and potential countermeasures to mitigate the urban heat island effect, increased temperature in neighborhood open spaces and facilitate integration of architectural, and neighborhood scale climatology to enhance climate sensitive urban and architectural design.
Keywords : Urban heat island effect, thermal comfort, thermal discomfort, sun path, outdoor environment.