Analytical evaluation of thermal comfort in the pedestrian environment using pedestrian shade space distribution

Abstract

Shade distribution in the pedestrian environment directly affects pedestrian thermal comfort, so it is necessary to evaluate the influence of shade on thermal comfort and guide shade planning. This study proposed a concept of pedestrian shade space from a 3D perspective for accurately analyzing the thermal impact of shade on pedestrians. Pedestrian shade space is a space that can completely cover a pedestrian in the shade when the pedestrian is on a sidewalk. Pedestrian space is considered to be composed of two types of space: pedestrian sunlit space and pedestrian shade space. A quantification method of pedestrian shade space distribution on sidewalks was also discussed in this paper. By estimating a thermal index (Physiological equivalent temperature, PET) in the pedestrian space, pedestrian thermal comfort can be analyzed based on pedestrian shade space distribution. The evaluation process and application of the proposed method were demonstrated through case studies in actual urban districts. The analysis results show that the proposed method can be used to support the planners in the thermal evaluation of the pedestrian environment and design proposal optimization.