To encourage people to spend more time in outdoor spaces and enhance livability within cities, one of the key factors is increasing outdoor thermal comfort in these areas. It is crucial to first pinpoint the areas considered as risk areas within cities. These areas can be defined as locations with both high levels of thermal discomfort and high levels of human activity. In this study, we aimed to identify outdoor thermal risk areas within Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand. To achieve this, we defined three distinct layers—namely, the layer of hazard, layer of exposure, and layer of vulnerability—on specific summer days in 2023. By overlaying the results of these three layers, we identified high-risk outdoor thermal areas. The layer of hazard was identified as areas with Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) exceeding 23 ℃, simulated using Envi-met. The layer of exposure was identified based on areas with the highest spatial intensity distribution of individuals. The usage intensity of each zone was determined by dividing the number of people within that zone by the total number of people present in the entire selected locations during the same period through on-site observations. The layer of vulnerability was identified by pinpointing areas where people experienced discomfort based on meteorological conditions through field surveys. The methods and findings presented are expected to provide valuable insights for urban planners and architects in identifying thermal risk areas in various urban contexts.