Hot humid regions are distinguished, from the urban and building design viewpoint, by the following features:

• The summer climate is uncomfortable, and the most difficult to ameliorate by design.

• The people living in many of the hot-humid regions are mostly poor.

• Less-systematic research has been done on climatically appropriate urban and building design for this climate in comparison with research on other climates.

The fact that most of the countries in the hot-humid areas are developing countries has direct impact on the practicality of some modern concepts of urban and building design from the climatic viewpoint. The vast majority of people cannot afford air conditioning. Therefore, thermal stress (and its impact on health and productivity) should be minimized primarily by appropriate urban and building design details which do not involve high cost. Landsberg (1984) notes that about 40 percent of the world population is living in the zone between the Tropics, and this proportion is expected to increase to about 50 percent at the end of the century. These population figures demonstrate the importance of improving the comfort conditions in the hot-humid regions by adapting the buildings, and the cities at large, to the climate.