Research on outdoor thermal comfort of high-density urban center in severe cold area

Abstract

With high intensity of urban land development and dense population, urban high-density central area has obvious heat island effect, which has a great impact on thermal comfort. Taking Qiulin commercial district, the high-density central area of Harbin as the research object, this paper uses physical measurement and questionnaire survey to evaluate the outdoor thermal comfort. The results show that: (1) In high-density blocks of Harbin, there is a strong correlation between TCV and TSV, which is mainly affected by air temperature and globe temperature. And the correlation is stronger in transition season and winter than in summer; (2) The applicability PET in severe cold area was verified. The logistic regression method was used to obtain the range of neutral PET [12.99 °C, 19.89 °C] and the acceptable PET [5.14 °C, 27.15 °C]. At the same time, the 11-point TSV scale was verified to be accurate in assessing the thermal sensation in severe cold area; (3) Preferred PET in summer and transition season were 24.8 °C and 23.5 °C, respectively. Temperature expectation is the main factor influencing the difference of preferred temperature between cold and hot seasons; (4) Residents in severe cold area have become psychologically adapted to the cold environment due to long-term exposure to cold conditions, so that people are less sensitive to low temperatures in winter. In this situation it is important to have a general understanding of the outdoor thermal comfort in severe cold regions, which can guide planners to a better urban design.