A Field Investigation on Adaptive Thermal Comfort in an Urban Environment Considering Individuals’ Psychological and Physiological Behaviors in a Cold-Winter of Wuhan

Mehdi Makvandi,Xilin Zhou,Chuancheng Li,Qinli Deng

doi:10.3390/su13020678

Mehdi Makvandi, Xilin Zhou + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020678

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Abstract

To date, studies of outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) have focused primarily on physical factors, tending to overlook the relevance of individual adaptation to microclimate parameters through psychological and physiological behaviors. These adaptations can significantly affect the use of urban and outdoor spaces. The study presented here investigated these issues, with a view to aiding sustainable urban development. Measurements of OTC were taken at a university campus and in urban spaces. Simultaneously, a large-scale survey of thermal adaptability was conducted. Two groups were selected for investigation in a cold-winter-and-hot-summer (CWHS) region; respondents came from humid subtropical (Cfa) and hot desert (BWh) climates, according to the Köppen Climate Classification (KCC). Results showed that: (1) neutral physiological equivalent temperature (NPET) and preferred PET for people from the Cfa (PCfa) and BWh (PBWh) groups could be obtained with KCC; (2) PCfa adaptability behaviors were, subjectively, more adjustable than PBWh; (3) Clothing affected neutral temperature (NT), where NT reduced by approximately 0.5 °C when clothing insulation rose 0.1 Clo; and (4) Gender barely affected thermal acceptance vote (TAV) or thermal comfort vote (TCV) and there was a substantial relationship between thermal sensation, NT, and PET. These findings suggest ‘feels like’ temperature and comfort may be adjusted via relationships between microclimate parameters.

Highlights

In recent years, the increased attention paid to energy-saving initiatives and public well-being has led to a greater focus on understanding thermal comfort, which is an essential factor in promoting the use of urban public spaces [1,2]
This paper presents the results of a thermal comfort study conducted for the first time in the WHUT area of Wuhan between people with different biometeorological back‐
This paper presents the results of a thermal comfort study conducted for the first time in the WHUT area of Wuhan between people with different biometeorological backgrounds in the Köppen Climate Classification (KCC) category of came from humid subtropical (Cfa) and BWh in winter

Summary

Introduction

The increased attention paid to energy-saving initiatives and public well-being has led to a greater focus on understanding thermal comfort, which is an essential factor in promoting the use of urban public spaces [1,2]. Some thermal studies [5,6] have concentrated on indoor thermal comfort where thermal conditions are comparatively fixed, and others [7,8] have focused on locations with unstable surrounding conditions and on OTC in urban open spaces. In research focused on OTC, many studies have focused on physical factors [9,10,11] Such studies have been carried out in urban canyons [12], pedestrian areas [13], parks [14], residential communities [15], and across various climates such as hot desert [16], hothumid [17], humid subtropical [18], cold semi-arid [19], cold [14], and severely cold

Results

Discussion

Conclusion