Impacts of Vegetation Ratio, Street Orientation, and Aspect Ratio on Thermal Comfort and Building Carbon Emissions in Cold Zones: A Case Study of Tianjin

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The research is well-managed and has a high value for the field. I acknowledge the researchers for their efforts. Minor points were highlighted in my report, which my best wishes for them 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

While many studies focus on urban forms in hot climates or during summer months, this research provides valuable insights into urban forms in cold climates. However, I recommend major revisions to the manuscript for several reasons.

 

First, the term “urban street design” is not clearly defined in this study. The authors use it to refer to elements such as street layout, vegetation ratio, street orientation, and aspect ratio. However, I do not believe this term adequately captures all these components. It would be beneficial for the authors to find a more precise term that accurately reflects these elements.

 

Second, the research lacks novelty as it does not present substantial new findings. Similar studies with analogous results are readily available in the literature. The authors must clearly articulate what distinguishes their study from existing research and highlight any unique contributions it makes to the field.

 

Additionally, the study attempts to address too many aspects based on a single case study. It seeks to measure carbon emissions and thermal comfort levels using PET in relation to “urban street design” elements. Given that only one case is used for empirical analysis, I question the generalizability and applicability of the findings to other contexts, as relying on a single case can introduce bias.

 

Finally, the authors analyze both a single residential unit and street layouts within the same case study, which represents a problematic difference in scale. This discrepancy in scale may lead to selective case usage and potentially misleading conclusions. I recommend aligning the scale of analysis to ensure consistency and reliability of the findings.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

None

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This study analyzes the impact of urban street design on cooling and heating energy consumption and CO2 emissions using the ENVI-met model in Tianjin. The study is well-structured, and the results are reliable. I believe it is worth publishing in its present form.

The following comments are for improving readability:

In Figure 1, both "microclimatic measurement" and "ENVI-met microclimate simulation" contain the same items. It is difficult to understand the relationship between these two categories. An explanation of Figure 1 in the main text is preferable.

Figure 10 is small and it is difficult to identify which color indicates what. Please make it larger and add a legend for the colors.

Author Response

请参阅附件。

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I thank the authors for revising the manuscript. Here are my final comments.

 

1. Please consider shortening the manuscript to enhance the efficiency of communication.

2. The figures need greater visibility; for instance, Figure 10 is particularly small and should be enlarged.

3. There are numerous long sentences throughout the manuscript that could benefit from revision for clarity.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing required. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf