SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY STRATEGY IN HERITAGE URBAN SPACES. CASE STUDY: GUANAJUATO

Abstract

Human and environmental health is a global challenge that researchers approach from different perspectives, in search of solutions that improve the users’ quality of life at different scales. Urban spaces play an important role in the quest to improve human and environmental health, due to the high concentration of users, and the alternatives offered by the use of mobility networks at this scale, as well as the opportunity to generate mitigation strategies and sustainable practices despite increasing levels of CO₂ emissions. Urban heritage spaces are a major challenge due to their high occupancy rates and regulatory restrictions aimed at preserving their original systems. Additionally, local and foreign tourism, as a socio-economic phenomenon in constant movement, requires strategies compatible with environmental quality protocols despite current social challenges. In this study, an experimental method was used to monitor thermal performance in a street that connects to the historic centre of Guanajuato, and was complemented with the use of an international index to qualify thermal stress in outdoor spaces. The objective was to understand the thermal conditions that influence the users’ comfort when using public spaces and to propose sustainable strategies. The results presented correspond to a temperate climate and demonstrate the need to reduce heat stress according to the months of measurement, which led to effective improvement strategies for urban heritage spaces focused on sustainable mobility.