Pedestrian Comfort Research Articles

Important Factors for Inclusive Pedestrian Ways Development in Pecinan Semarang City

Urban Planning is strongly related to public spaces. Open public spaces are an essential element in sustaining community activity spaces. Social, economic, and other activities regularly happen in this area. Pecinan (Chinatown) is one of the heritage areas in Semarang that still has high community activity. Narrow and crowded street in this area becomes one the issues for pedestrian. The unsafe feeling occurs when people cross the street. The store’s activity on the side of the street also creates a fuzzy condition for pedestrians. The study aims to the sustainability and inclusivity of pedestrian ways in Pecinan. Data Collection is done by observing the actual condition of 1380 samples in the field through interviews and questionnaires for the pedestrian. The method of this study uses quantitative methods and use behavioral mapping for the analysis methods. The result of the study shows that pedestrians tend to rank accessibility as the most important factor, followed by transit points, infrastructure, and parking areas. The result also shows that continuous arcade shade and vegetation coverage as other factors that affect pedestrian comfort in Southeast Asian Country climates condition. The result also reveals that an active frontage of a store creates a more lively atmosphere. The recommendation based on the study is to relocate the street vendors’ activity alongside the narrow road. The relocation also should still be near the area of the Pecinan.

Analysis Level of Comfort, Safety and Safety Level on Pathways in The Kebayoran Baru Area, South Jakarta

As the population increases, resulting in high human mobility. However, high mobility is not matched by services for transportation facilities and infrastructure, especially sidewalks. One of the areas with existing sidewalk problems is the Kebayoran Baru area of South Jakarta. The problem that occurs is that the sidewalk is used as a place to street vendors, and is used as an illegal parking lot. The methodology of this research was carried out by conducting a geometric survey, measuring the volume and travel time of pedestrians to determine the level of service and distributing questionnaires as 80 respondents to pedestrians in search of the level of performance and importance of sidewalk facilities. This data processing uses Microsoft Excel and Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS). The results of the analysis carried out that the sidewalks do not meet the minimum standards according to regulations. From the measurement of the results of the volume and travel time of pedestrians, the level of service with category A is obtained, as well as the results of the questionnaire related to the level of comfort, security, and safety of pedestrians influenced by the presence of street vendors and illegal parking on sidewalks.

Evaluation of Taman Lansia Based on Recreational Needs and Functions According to Elderly Perceptions

Bandung City  is one of the cities in Indonesia where the percentage of the growth of the elderly community is quite high, so it is necessary to provide special recreational and sports facilities for the elderly community. The park was chosen as a place of recreation because it is considered to be able to refresh physically and psychologically. Many elderly people experience difficulties and feel uncomfortable when doing activities in the park because there is no special development of parks for the elderly from the government. This study aims to analyze the use of green open space from the recreational function and its needs based on the perception of the elderly. The method used is descriptive quantitative based on data obtained from the results of distributing questionnaires and field observations using accidental sampling of visitors. Based on the results of the study, the characteristics of visitors were dominated by men with an age range of 60-64 years and still living with a partner and still earning. The existing condition of the park is in quite good condition. The majority of elderly activities in the park are leisurely walks, while the most comfortable recreational activity to do is relax. The needs of the elderly for parks are dominant in physical needs such as more for park public facilities. There are 3 (three) factors that shape the motivation to visit the elderly at Taman Lansia. Factor 1 consists of location security, convenience of street vendors, and convenience of trash cans. Factor 2 is location accessibility and signage convenience. While factor 3 includes route accessibility, crowd safety, pedestrian path comfort, and toilet comfort.Keywords: perception, recreation, green open space, Taman Lansia

Influence of built environment on outdoor thermal comfort: A comparative study of new and old urban blocks in Guangzhou

Urban populations face increasing heat stress in cities. However, the influence of the built environment of new and old urban blocks on pedestrian thermal comfort remains unclear. This study selected typical old (Yongqingfang) and new urban areas (Knowledge City) in Guangzhou, China, as our research sites. Through field monitoring and surveys, we used physiological equivalent temperature (PET) and thermal comfort vote (TCV) to evaluate outdoor thermal comfort by thermal walk experiments. We analyzed the relationships between built environment variables, meteorological variables, and pedestrian thermal comfort at the two sites. Our analysis revealed significant differences in the built environment and meteorological conditions between the new and old urban blocks within the 60-m buffer zone. PET and TCV showed noticeable spatiotemporal variations in both sites, and their correlation was stronger in the morning (r = 0.87–0.89) than late afternoon (r = 0.60–0.70). Our stepwise regression model indicated that sky view factor and building coverage ratio significantly affected outdoor thermal comfort in old and new urban blocks. Built environment variables explained a higher percentage of the variance in PET (Yongqingfang R2: 0.59–0.82, Knowledge City R2: 0.32–0.81) than TCV (Yongqingfang R2: 0.45–0.57, Knowledge City R2: 0.48–0.69). In short, built environment variables affected thermal indices more than thermal perception. The impact of built environment variables on TCV is also greater in new urban areas than in old urban blocks. Our findings provide insights into the complex relationship between built environments and outdoor thermal comfort in different urban landscapes, which informs climate-resilient urban design.

A Literature Review of Parameter-Based Models for Walkability Evaluation

Many scientific papers that deal with the topic of the pedestrian environment use a predefined form for assessing or evaluating its quality as a basic methodological instrument. The aim of this research is to emphasize the dimension of the available audit tools or methodologies in order to develop a full-scale database of indices that can be used for the measurement and evaluation of the pedestrian environment. By analyzing 115 research papers selected according to predefined selection criteria, the basic methodological apparatus or the evaluation instrument was observed. Based on the analysis carried out in this way, a number of 40 valid instruments were identified by which it was possible to evaluate the pedestrian environment. The observed instruments have a high level of reliability according to the high values of the ICC coefficient, IRR test, or Kappa value. There are 193 items for the evaluation of the pedestrian environment that were derived from the observed instruments. The items were arranged over seven groups regarding the quality of the pedestrian environment, namely, Functionality, Safety, Comfort, Mobility, Environment, Connectivity, and Aesthetics. On average, the items distributed over those seven groups are in use throughout the entire pool of instruments at the level of 47.41% across all groups. There are 30 instruments or methodologies that are objectively based, 4 subjectively oriented, and 6 with elements of both approaches. Of the instruments, 14 measure and assess the pedestrian environment through a quantitative data set, while 20 are designed for qualitative assessment. Only six of the instruments contain both qualitative and quantitative measuring items. A large percentage of analyzed papers that use a predefined methodology or instrument indicate the need to deepen the field of research and to include additional aspects that would give more authoritative results.

Social robot navigation in environments with different population density

In the field of modern robotics, robots need not only to avoid obstacles, but also to meet the comfort of pedestrians. In this paper, two methods of robot navigation: CP-SFM and reinforcement learning are introduced. CP-SFM model can analyse the repulsive force between the pedestrians and robot and generate a pedestrian-friendly path to the destination. Reinforcement learning method create a crowd-human interaction and use deep learning framework to train the robot learning human-robot and human-human interaction. These methods are also applied to the simulation environment and the results show the success of them.

Simultaneous broadband vibration isolation and energy harvesting at low frequencies with quasi-zero stiffness and nonlinear monostability

Vibration, as one of the most ubiquitous phenomena, would be a sustainable energy harvesting source to power wireless sensor nodes. However, vibration may be undesirable with detrimental effects such as damage to buildings, discomfort to passengers, etc. So far, the simultaneous broadband energy harvesting and vibration isolation at low frequencies between 0 and 15 Hz is still an open issue. Motivated by this, we propose a novel device with a quasi-zero-stiffness (QZS) support through cam–roller–spring mechanism (CRSM) and multiple nonlinear monostable piezoelectric energy harvesters. A semi-analytical electromechanical model considering AC/DC circuits is developed and validated. Simulation results show that when the high-energy branches of the proposed device with six nonlinear monostable harvesters are triggered, the peak power and energy harvesting frequency bandwidths are respectively increased by up to 69.29% and 1.22 times compared with those of its counterpart with linear harvesters. Furthermore, these are achieved at frequencies lower than 15 Hz without the sacrifice of low force transmissibility and isolation frequencies. Parametric studies indicate that except for the harvester damping, no matter how other parameters change, the superiority of the proposed device exists compared with its linear counterpart. It can be potentially used in building a smart floor tile with dual functions of energy harvesting to power wireless sensor nodes for footfall tracking or light-emitting diodes, and vibration isolation to enhance pedestrian comfort and safety.

Thermodynamic analysis of a bifacial PV/T‐driven ejector cooling and electrodialysis system for off‐grid sustainable climate refuge in hot‐arid climates

AbstractIn hot‐arid climatic regions like Qatar, it is important to facilitate pedestrians' journeys. One way to do so is by providing them with shelters, that is, from a station to their destination building. It is necessary for such shelters to provide on‐site space cooling and freshwater in an off‐grid condition. In this respect, the proposed off‐grid system in this study includes bifacial photovoltaic (BPV) and a solar thermal collector for energy generation with battery and thermal storage units. BPV with an efficiency of 16% can produce power up to about 6.1 kW on the rooftop, which also reduces the cooling load via effective shading. The ejector‐based cooling system is deployed for efficient space cooling in high ambient temperatures (more than 28°C), while for less than 28°C, both fan and water misting systems are operated for the comfort of pedestrians. Finally, an electrodialysis system is integrated to generate freshwater from seawater to be used for drinking and water misting purposes in the off‐grid sustainable shelter. The overall energy and exergy efficiencies of the system are calculated to be 13.2% and 5.29%, respectively. The effects of several parameters are also studied to observe the overall system efficiency and the energy generated and consumed by the system.

Reconciling users and public space-relationship in historic squares: The case of En-Naser square in Nablus city

ABSTRACT A successful relationship between users and public spaces is built on main five values: satisfaction with the pedestrian zone, encouragement of social interaction and privacy, the quality of public services, the environmental conditions, and the visual quality. This paper aims to examine these values in the current design of one of the prominent public spaces in the historic centre of Nablus City: En-Naser Square, following its recent rehabilitation to propose it as a pilot project for the rehabilitation of public spaces in historic centres of Palestine. Two methods are used: the historic method, through which the authors detailed the architectural development of the square across several historic eras. The second method is an empirical study, which was conducted to examine the compatibility of the current square design with the mentioned five values and verify the paper’s hypothesis. The survey has revealed that the square has a good response to the five values if some issues of public services were solved. This led to conclude that historic squares in Palestine can reflect a successful relationship between users and public space with minimum interventions. Thus there is a need for enhancing pedestrian comfort in historic centres with the reference to En-Naser project.

Macro Flow Dynamic Study of Wind Around a Gable Roof Building with Openings

Understanding the flow field developed in the proximity of a building due to the wind flow over it is a prerequisite for designing a building. The wind environment around buildings plays a pivotal role not only from the point of view of structural integrity but also impacts the ventilation performance, pedestrian comfort and dispersion of pollutants. With the emergence of the green building concept in the light of the sustainable living, modern buildings are equipped with various openings such as doors, windows and ventilators. These openings change the flow characteristics in and around the building remarkably and make the flow field much more complex. The current study seeks to improve the understanding of both the internal and external flow fields around the buildings with openings. In this work, an attempt has been made to investigate the influence of wind direction on the flow behavior of wind in and around gable roof buildings with six different opening configurations. Commercially available CFD software ANSYS-FLUENT is used for numerical simulations. The numerical simulations are carried out to solve the steady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations. The results obtained from the numerical simulations are validated with the previously published experimental results, and a good agreement was observed.

Simulation-based educational approach toward improving thermal outdoor comfort for pedestrians in semi-arid climate

Abstract The urban cooling is the most effective strategy to fight the urban climate change effects in summertime. Thus, searching urban cool islands can remedy the rise of urban temperatures. This study aims to consider cool urban pathways offering optimal levels of thermal comfort in downtown Guelma during summer overheating. This involves researching the appropriate tree ratio and typology, tree layout and suitable configurations of water bodies of outdoor spaces. The scientific methodology is made through either straightforward step included on-site measurements and calculating the difference of urban temperatures to select five outdoor spaces with maximum heat stress. As our study also aims to improve the outdoor thermal comfort by natural elements, it simulates different scenarios of the selected stations using ENVI-Met model and exploiting the real field measurement of the urban microclimate. The most significant reductions in thermal comfort levels (UTCI) over three thermal phases identify the coolest urban pathways. Consequently, we confirmed that considering cool pathways spanning from station S2 to station S8 is possible with optimal thermal comfort levels over the day; 0.46–6.9°C in the morning phase, 0.94–3.87°C in the hot thermal phase and 1.42–3.54°C in the thermal relief phase. The findings indicate three main effects of microclimatic regulation underlie the improvement of the thermal comfort levels: tree cooling effect with (Ta ≤ 1.1°C), cooling effect of water bodies (Ta ≤ 0.3°C) and cooling effect of trees in combination with water bodies (Ta ≤ 1.9°C).

Evaluating the Impact of COVID-19 on the Behaviour of Pedestrians

The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably impacted pedestrians’ perceived comfort in a public setting. The virus’s transmissibility and social distancing restrictions have resulted in a shift in pedestrians’ perceived comfort, with more pedestrians becoming more conscious of other pedestrians and the distance between pedestrians. The changes in pedestrians’ perception have resulted in the Pedestrian Level Of Service (PLOS) models becoming outdated. The models may not accurately portray the actual status of pedestrians’ Level Of Service (LOS) according to the pedestrian needs during a pandemic, which generally lasts for a couple of years. These pandemics will happen in the future; hence, their impact on pedestrian comfort on sidewalks is worth considering. This research aims to analyse the effect of COVID-19 on PLOS by compiling data using a face-to-face questionnaire survey in the Melbourne Central Business District (CBD). From the 445 completed surveys, 72% of respondents extensively considered social distancing due to COVID-19 when commuting in the CBD, and 49% preferred a 1–1.5 m distance between pedestrians. In conjunction with an in-depth analysis of the data, an ordinal regression model has been used to analyse the factors that influence the perceived comfort of the pedestrians and estimate the PLOS. The model results show that pedestrian density, COVID-19 social distancing, continuous footpath, and pedestrian flow in opposite directions on the sidewalk greatly impacted the walking comfort of pedestrians during the pandemic.

Quantification through deep learning of sky view factor and greenery on urban streets during hot and cool seasons

The urban heat island effect has gained attention worldwide. Built environment characteristics such as sky view factor (SVF) and green view index (GVI) can affect urban thermal environments and pedestrians’ thermal comfort. With recent technological advances, Google Street View (GSV) can be used to rapidly obtain panoramic street-view images with high reliability, enabling convenient and low-cost environmental assessment of urban settings. In addition, deep learning technology for quantifying the characteristics of urban environments has advanced considerably. This study sought to (1) determine the consistency between deep learning and manual classification of urban environment characteristics and (2) investigate the effects of street-level SVF and GVI on thermal comfort, especially the differences in their effects during hot and cool seasons. The study was conducted in the West District of Taichung City, and GSV was used to capture images from which SVF and GVI were calculated. A total of 50 sample locations were selected for an onsite questionnaire and thermal comfort was measured to determine the effects of SVF and GVI. The results indicated deep learning and manual classifications of SVF and GVI to be highly correlated. With regard to effects, SVF had a significant positive effect on physiological equivalent temperature and thermal sensation votes. GVI also had a significant positive effect on physiological equivalent temperature, but no effect on thermal sensation votes. Thus, reducing SVF and implementing greening projects may improve thermal comfort of pedestrians on the streets. These results offer implications for future urban planning and large-scale urban thermal environment assessments.

Evaluation of the wind comfort of a person in the Krasnodar territory

The purpose of the study is to analyze and identify the most unfavorable pedestrian comfort zones in the Krasnodar Territory. The article uses a methodology for assessing pedestrian comfort, which takes into account the distribution of wind speeds along the wind rose, the pulsation component and the average wind speed, the duration of the manifestation of wind speeds in a certain direction. The assessment of comfort occurs according to three levels of comfort, the excess of which indicates the negative impact of wind on a person. As a result of the work, calculations were carried out according to the methodology used. Cartographic materials have been created and the most unfavorable wind zones have been identified, where the critical value of pedestrian comfort is exceeded.

Assessment of overhead environments on pedestrian thermal comfort in a dense urban district

Outdoor thermal comfort in urban environmental settings is often investigated at a small scale, e.g., in street canyons. Yet, pedestrian thermal comfort in a district is scarcely assessed, especially in terms of the comprehensive overhead environments such as sky openness, green coverage, and sun exposure. This study provides a systematic methodology to quantify the district-scale pedestrian thermal comfort performance considering overhead environments. Mobile transects were designed for data collection during peak hot hours within a medium-scale district. A portable weather station was used to measure outdoor thermal environments and a fisheye lens was to capture hemispherical images of overhead environments. A universal thermal comfort index, Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET), was subsequently calculated with the collected thermal environment data. Meanwhile, hemispherical images were segmented into areas of visible sky, overhead greenery, and sun, which were further weighed into corresponding view factors. Eventually, a multiple regression model was developed between PET and view factors together with meteorological variables. The results showed that a decrease in the sky view factor of 0.17 or an increase in the green view factor of 0.21 could reduce PET by 0.5°C. The findings scientifically support resilient urban planning in greening and cooling urban dense spaces for comfortable and liveable environments.

Evaluation of wind comfort with computational fluid dynamics simulations for pedestrian sidewalks around buildings

Wind power could be one of the most clean and powerful renewable resources for electrical energy production, but on the other hand, uncontrolled wind flow especially in urban places could cause undesired situations as damage to buildings, decrease in pedestrian comfort, environmental damage, or even life loss. Construction of high-rise buildings, widely spread structures within cities, and environmental changes forces, engineers to find quick, reliable, and also economically viable solutions during design stages, but wind comfort of sidewalks generally not considered enough even if they are located in crowded areas. The web-based computer aided engineering (CAE) program named Simscale which runs on the basis of sophisticated graphical interface was used as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to determine wind speeds under influence of buildings in the Nuh Naci Yazgan University campus. Also, field measurements carried out in campus area for a short term period were compared with long term hourly wind speed data obtained from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) station located in Kayseri to identify most optimal wind speed data for the research area. Results of analysis showed that wind speed increased in the mostly used paths of campus, which means that the layout of buildings negatively affected the wind comfort. CFD analysis softwares could be used to determine the possible consquences of wind with less economic investment in a short time, and they could be used in accordance with comfort criterias as well as safety regulations.

Current approaches to studying the level of pedestrian comfort in urban development

The paper presents the results of a numerical forecast of the pedestrian comfort level in the territory of urban development. The research uses the microscale numerical model of the atmosphere in the urban environment, into which the equations of temperature and seasonal indices are integrated. These equations are used to simulate and analyse pedestrian comfort conditions. The paper presents the results of the proposed model approbation in the real environment of the residential neighbourhoods of Krasnoyarsk city. External conditions, typical for summer and winter seasons, were simulated. The results produced are presented as distribution fields of the considered indices. During the analysis, comfortable/discomfort areas for humans staying in the environment of studied urban development were revealed.

Development of Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) Facilities as Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Transportation in the Losari Beach Area of Makassar City, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) or non-motorized transportation is a form of sustainable transportation and environmentally friendly, reducing the environmental impact caused by transportation activities. Motor vehicle emissions cause greenhouse gas emissions and affect global warming and climate change worldwide. Walking is a form of non-motorized transportation. This research aims to determine the priority for developing Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) facilities in Makassar City, focusing on pedestrian paths that are comfortable for everyone. The research location is in the Losari Beach area to Fort Rotterdam as one of the recreational areas that are dense with the activities of the people of Makassar City. This research is descriptive quantitative, analyzing pedestrian paths availability and comfort level using a Likert scale to obtain comfort levels and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to get pedestrian path development priorities. The results showed that Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) facilities, such as pedestrian paths in Makassar City, were not maximally available, and utilization was not optimal.

Coupled simulation of CFD and human thermoregulation model in outdoor wind environment

Understanding of dynamic and transient wind environment is crucial to evaluating the outdoor thermal comfort of pedestrians. The thermophysiological responses of the human body depend on both the interaction with the climate and internal thermoregulation. The coupled simulation of CFD and thermoregulation model provides a pathway to predict human responses under non-uniform conditions where local effects may dominate thermal comfort. In this work, we explore the potential of coupled simulation under outdoor environmental conditions. The thermoregulation model JOS-3, which consists of 85 nodes and 17 body segments, is used to simulate the physiological responses and the obtained mean skin temperature is fed into CFD as the boundary condition of the thermal manikin. The thermal interactions between the human and surrounding environment in the wind tunnel, represented by convective and radiant heat transfer coefficient, are calculated by CFD and serve as inputs for the JOS-3 thermoregulation model. The results exhibit that under the wind velocity of 1 m/s and turbulent intensity of 11.6%, the coupling can converge within two iterations. This is because the convective heat transfer coefficient is not significantly affected by the body skin temperature under the assigned outdoor airflow velocity, which is higher than the value in an indoor environment. The study demonstrates the workflow of coupled simulation in an outdoor wind environment and could be a useful tool for evaluating outdoor thermal comfort under different conditions in the future.

Assessment of Safe Access to Pedestrian Infrastructure Facilities in the City of Almaty, Kazakhstan

Currently, in all large and small cities in Kazakhstan, residential and public buildings are being actively built. It should be noted that the quantitative indicators of the construction of residential facilities prevail. The method applied to building residential facilities at the point and quarter increases the population density in urban areas. Increasing the number of residents requires assessing the levels of comfort for pedestrians at different speeds, the safety of sidewalks, and ensuring the accessibility of infrastructure facilities to people. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the quality of comfortable and safe conditions of pedestrian roads as a part of a district of Almaty. The assessment is based on the study of the presence and quality of elements and objects in the structures of transport roads and pedestrian sidewalks, and the determining level of pedestrian comfort is also applied (PCL). As a result of the study, the most problematic streets, the quality of pedestrian accessibility of extensive infrastructure facilities in each residential sector, and the main shortcomings and proposals for their elimination will be identified. The data obtained because of the study can be used in reconstruction, and urban area spatial planning concepts, allowing people to walk to most daily services and institutions, creating maximum opportunities to walk, reducing dependence on road transport, and contributing to the daily life of the community.