Impact of Microclimate on People’s Experiences and Behaviours in the Cultural Consumption Space: A Case Study of Panjiayuan Antique Market in Beijing, China

Abstract

Antique and cultural consumption spaces make a great contribution to urban vitality where numerous people walk, stay, and trade. However, how these people’s experiences and behaviours are affected by the microclimate of such spaces has not been studied till now. To address this gap, and using the concept of Post-occupancy Evaluation (POE) as a basis, our study investigated microclimate factors, subjective experiences, and spatiotemporal behaviour patterns in Panjiayuan Antique Market in Beijing, China. Using a mixed-methods approach comprising subjective questionnaires (n = 101), face-to-face interviews (n = 81), spatiotemporal behaviour mapping (n = 8455), and on-site observations, our results showed that microclimates impact people’s experiences and behaviours, with visibility and noise being the two primary impact factors. Most female visitors are more sensitive to the microclimate than male visitors. Furthermore, vendors in the Antique Market preferred to amend their nearby environments to increase the microclimate quality to offer a better experience to visitors around them. This study developed a comprehensive methodology that expands POE in relation to microclimatic factors in the context of cultural consumption spaces. These findings suggest that microclimates have different impacts on people’s experiences and behaviours in different spaces, which should be considered when designing and renewing urban antique markets in the future.