Abstract
Creating a favorable thermal environment in an outdoor space is essential for attracting more occupants to outdoor areas and vitalizing a city. It is possible to study occupants’ needs in an outdoor thermal environment by observing their attendance and behaviors, since people may exhibit certain adaptive measures, such as seeking shade, using parasols, etc., “vote with their feet”, or even leave the space, if they feel uncomfortable. In order to investigate the influence of thermal environment on attendance and adaptive behaviors in outdoor spaces, in this study we carried out field campaigns in a university campus in a cold-climate city. The thermal environment was monitored, while surveys of thermal perceptions and observations of attendance and adaptive behaviors were conducted. Through the data analyses, it was found that the thermal environment had a great impact on the attendance of optional activities, but necessary activities were not influenced. The greatest influence on attendance came from air temperature. The influences of wind and humidity on attendance were found to be coupled with that of air temperature. Adaptive behaviors, such as seeking shade, using parasols, changing clothes, and changing the lengths of stay, were also greatly influenced by air temperature.
Highlights
Accepted: 29 May 2021It is predicted that around two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities [1] by2050
Using the collected data concerning the outdoor thermal environment, outdoor space attendance, and adaptive behaviors, this section presents the influence of the thermal environment on necessary and optional behaviors, along with adaptive behaviors such as seeking shade, using parasols, changing clothing insulation levels, and changing the length of stay
The current study investigated the influence of the thermal environment on attendance and adaptive behaviors in outdoor spaces on a university campus through the monitoring of the microclimate, distribution of questionnaire surveys, and observation of attendance and adaptive behaviors
Summary
Accepted: 29 May 2021It is predicted that around two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities [1] by2050. It is predicted that around two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities [1] by. Outdoor spaces provide citizens with plenty of room for their daily activities, such as exercise, resting, socializing, and attending to children [2]. High-quality spaces are needed in order to promote activity outdoors to vitalize cities [3,4]. Vitalizing outdoor space can lead to energy savings in buildings [5,6,7]. Occupant behavior is an important influencer of energy and the environment [8]. According to Gehl [9], outdoor activity can be classified into three types: necessary activities, optional activities, and social activities
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