A Percepção do clima e os usos dos espaços livres na cidade de Dourados–MS/Brasil

Abstract

The growth of cities has caused changes in the urban environment, the socioeconomic activities carried out in these spaces are factors of the formation and generation of the urban climate, so that, according to the intensity of human density, urban infrastructure and the geographic location of the city, or less influence. The0 objective of this research was to understand the climatic perception of passers - by and frequenters of free spaces in the city of Dourados (MS), in order to evaluate the thermal comfort by means of the Thermal Discomfort Index (RTD) proposed by Thom (1959). To perform the research, it was necessary to understand the climatic dynamics of the Dourados-MS region and the production of the urban space of the city, correlating them in order to identify the nuances that contribute directly and indirectly in the urban climate. The free spaces selected as objects of study were: Antônio João Square, Antenor Martins Park, Ipês Park and Parque Alvorada Square. The methodology involved data collection in loco in two different periods / episodes, winter and spring / summer, the use of techniques and methods established in urban climate studies, in association with field work, which involved the application of questionnaire and records in temperature, relative humidity and wind speed. The daily data sampled were correlated with the conditions of the regional atmospheric circulation, through the interpretation of synoptic charts and the identification of the predominant characteristics of the time. The free spaces, the central object of the research, are important elements of the city's organization, since they play the role of heat islanders, indicators of urban health and thermal comfort, and, in this sense, the results point to the need to understand the microclimate scale in urban climate studies. The research allowed to conclude direct correlations between the climate perception and the RTD, essentially when high temperatures and heat waves occurred, a fact that was perceived during the spring / summer episode. It was verified the incompatibility of the free spaces with the usual climatic conditions of Dourados (MS), when high temperatures or too low and / or occurrence of rainfall these are underutilized. It is believed that this study collaborates with researches in urban climate of continental cities, influenced by continental climates, in which high temperatures are a predominant characteristic in Brazil. In addition, the research leaves open the importance of future works to analyze the use of open spaces in periods with extreme characteristics.