ABSTRACT This paper investigates the main characteristics of daylight on any window in a street canyon. The sky component and the light reflected from the surroundings are described to determine the vertical daylight factor (VDF). Several street canyon types are characterized taking into account their different height/width and any level of the window is analysed. A simple calculation method uses trigonometric equations based on the sky and the geometry of the canyon. The results were previously evaluated considering different daylight procedures obtained by other studies. This study reveals that the reflectance within an urban canyon plays an important role in the amount of daylight onto any window with more relevance in a deep canyon and low sky view. The graphical presentation that result from this investigation can rapidly assist building and urban designers in an early stage design where assumptions and the lay out of the main design take place.