How to design comfortable open spaces for the elderly? Implications of their thermal perceptions in an urban park

Abstract

Elderly residents are prominent users of urban parks and comfortable open spaces in parks have been shown to improve their physical health and mental well-being. In this study, the thermal perceptions (thermal sensation, thermal comfort and thermal acceptability) of elderly visitors to an urban park in Xi'an, China was investigated using meteorological measurements, questionnaire surveys and activity records. Physiological equivalent temperature (PET) was used to determine thermal benchmarks. Spatial-temporal distributions of the elderly in open spaces were recorded and relationships among elderly residents' thermal perceptions, their age and chronic disease were analyzed. Finally, optimal design strategies for open spaces suitable for the elderly were proposed based on meteorological characteristics, elderly residents' attendance patterns and their thermal perceptions. Results showed that: 1) globe temperature (Tg) and air temperature (Ta) were the primary meteorological factors that influenced elderly residents' thermal sensation while clothing insulation and activity intensity were negatively correlated with their thermal sensation. 2) Attendance was significantly affected by the outdoor microclimate, space functionality and facilities in spaces. The elderly mainly participated in dynamic activities and social interaction. 3) The neutral PET (NPET) was 13.2 °C, with NPET range (NPETR) of 3.1–23.2 °C. The 90% thermal acceptable PET ranged between 10.9 and 25.9 °C, and the preferred PET was 14.4 °C. Compared with the ISO7730 standard, the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) elderly park users was lower than users of indoor spaces when −1 ≤ MTSV ≤ + 1, indicating that the elderly preferred to conduct activities outside when the environment was comfortable. Additionally, NPET for the elderly with respiratory disease was higher than those with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. 4) Optimal design strategies for open spaces were proposed for elderly residents based on their physical, physiological and psychological preferences.