Thermal comfort in urban open spaces: Objective assessment and subjective perception study in tropical city of Bhopal, India

Abstract

The present study was conducted in the tropical city of Bhopal, with the aim to understand the thermal comfort conditions in the open spaces during hot and dry conditions. Field surveys were conducted in three types of urban open spaces - urban parks, Lakefronts, and open lanes of a market. The study investigated the outdoor thermal comfort conditions in the three contrasting locations regarding objective environmental measurements and subjective evaluation of people's perception. The field measurements showed that the values of thermal comfort index (PET) in the urban parks was higher than the defined comfort limit (PET<30°C) during the afternoon hours of the study. The subjective assessment also depicts parks to be perceived as thermally comfortable open spaces in the city. Inferential statistics illustrate that tree canopy density significant affected the thermal comfort index PET, and the globe temperature significantly influenced the subjective perception of the thermal environment. Results thus highlight the importance of shade and radiation reduction in attaining thermal comfort in the urban open spaces during the afternoon.