Microclimatic analysis as a prerequisite for sustainable urbanisation: Application for an urban regeneration project for a medium size city in the greater urban agglomeration of Athens, Greece

•Microclimate in a medium size city is examined in line to an urban regeneration plan.•The thermal properties of materials and the thermal comfort conditions are assessed.•The strong impact of materials currently used to the thermal environment is defined.•Heat stress should be dealt at 1st priority as it results in poor thermal comfort.•Guidelines are proposed for a regeneration project for sustainable urbanisation.

Integrating sustainability in urban design is a prerequisite for adequately addressing the urban challenges related to climate change, resource availability, environmental degradation and energy consumption. For the integration to be well formulated, urban planners need comprehensive microclimatic information at adequate spatial and temporal scales so as to define the bioclimatic design targets of the urban area concerned. In this study a medium size city (Acharnes, built at the southern foothills of Mt Parnitha, at a distance of 10 km north of Athens) is examined in terms of its thermal characteristics and the resulting thermal comfort conditions in municipal open spaces. Results show significant thermal loads for specific city areas as well as use of materials which result in adverse thermal conditions and in poor thermal comfort. On the basis of the results, specific guidelines are defined for the sustainable urbanisation of the city of Acharnes, in particular for an urban regeneration project concentrated at the centre of the city. The approach reflects a pattern which may be well applied in cities of respective size and urban characteristics and in similar climatic zones.