Perception of thermal comfort in outdoor public spaces in the medium-sized city of Chillan, Chile, during a warm summer

The study of thermal comfort in Latin American cities has been gaining great relevance for urban environmental planning. Some studies have evaluated the relationship between environmental and perceived comfort; however, the causes and social determinants of the different perceptions of the population have not been explored. The perception of thermal comfort in public spaces in the city of Chillan (Chile), which has an inland Mediterranean climate, is discussed in this context. First, we measured the environmental thermal comfort, adapting the Actual Sensation Vote index. A survey of 362 users of the five selected public spaces was carried out between 29 January and 01 February 2016 to obtain perceived comfort and relate it to the individual climatic history, use of public space and place of residence in the city. The results show that perceived thermal discomfort dominates over comfort on summer days; however, those users who visit public spaces for recreational purposes feel more comfortable, as well as those living in low socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhoods. On the other hand, users living in areas with higher socioeconomic status, have higher expectations regarding thermal environmental conditions.