Outdoor Thermal Comfort (OTC) Study on a district level as part of the Housing Programs in United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates (composed by seven Emirates) is a country with a rapid urban planning development. The aim of the authorities is to build 7270 houses by 2021 (referring to the public announcements). Local sustainable standards are applied in each Emirate, such as Abu Dhabi Public realm Manual. The standards consider the regional climate (hot arid), the use of materials, the application of the green areas etc. Cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, AL Ain are adapting to such standards and are building housing programs according to the governmental plan. However, further studies are required in each city where this programs are applied in order to understand the impact of such design into the OTC. The villa units are detached from each other and they create waste areas that are not treated with greenery or shading. Based on the history of old Arabic neighbourhoods, the houses were design close to each other in order to have maximum shade and improve the walkability. The aim of this study is to analyse this districts and understand which strategy would work best in order to reduce the outdoor air temperatures and improve the walkability. The methodology follows the below order: district analyses of the buildings and the applied materials in the external space, site measurements of the city microclimate, ENVI-met models of the current and future scenarios, results and recommendations.