Outdoor Thermal Comfort and Heat Exposure Risks

People in citiesCity use outdoor space for a wide range of activities such as exercise, rest and socializing. Climate changeClimate change, Urban Heat IslandsUrban Heat Island (UHI) and extreme heatwave eventsExtreme heatwave events are threats to pedestrians’ healthHealth and well-being. Good urban planning and designUrban planning and design can provide a high-quality urban living environment by meeting the need for outdoor thermal comfortOutdoor thermal comfort and thermal resilienceThermal resilience. People’s thermal sensationsThermal sensations and perceptions are greatly affected by the local microclimateMicroclimate and their thermal experienceThermal experience while, in turn, outdoor thermal comfort affects the decisions on whether to use a space. This chapter presents the human adaptationAdaptation mechanism for achieving outdoor thermal comfortOutdoor thermal comfort, the factors that influence it, strategies for thermal resilienceThermal resilience, the management of heat risk and thermal comfort assessmentThermal comfort assessment methods to use. Finally, a case studyCase study for evaluating thermal perceptionThermal perceptions in public squaresPublic square is introduced.