The effect of personal and microclimatic variables on outdoor thermal comfort: A field study in a cold season in Lujiazui CBD, Shanghai

Thermal comfort is of growing interest to academics and practitioners, while the quality of open urban spaces has received increasing attention in developed countries. Rapid urbanization has led to environmental problems, but there is relatively little research that brings these two areas together to address how microclimatic conditions influence quality of urban life. In this study, based in the high-density and high-rise Lujiazui district of Shanghai, an outdoor thermal comfort questionnaire survey was combined with meteorological data to assess pedestrian psychological, physiological and behavioral reactions to outdoor urban spaces. The research, conducted during the coldest months of the year, found that most respondents were thermally comfortable at the time of the survey and were also satisfied with the outdoor thermal environment in Lujiazui. By correlating micrometeorological and questionnaire survey data, research analysis established local thermal comfort criteria based on air temperature, global radiation, air humidity and wind velocity. The findings of this research enhance our understanding of human thermal comfort. In addition, the correlation of meteorological and social data contributes to our understanding of thermal comfort parameters in urban outdoor spaces and can contribute to more pedestrian-friendly urban planning.