A Behavioural Analysis of Outdoor Thermal Comfort: A Comparative Analysis between Formal and Informal Shading Practices in Urban Sites

Abstract

This study calls for the integration of context-based socio-cultural habits and learning from local practices in providing outdoor thermal comfort in conservation areas. These parameters have direct impacts on outdoor activities, especially in hot arid climates. The study took place in two nearby locations one renovated and all external shadings removed to provide visual vistas to monuments while on the same street, no more than 1500 m apart, local shading practices were left in places. Sun-exposed as opposed to shaded sites were compared for subjective thermal comfort and outdoor activity, via structured interviews, observations, and wide-ranging micrometeorological measurements. The aim was to investigate psychological factors, including overall thermal comfort and perception, in addition to environmental parameters, such as solar radiation intensity and thermal adaptation. The analysis illustrates the importance of shading as a dominant factor in achieving thermal comfort on the urban scale, with a neutral temperature in summer of 29.9◦C and 29.2◦C for shaded and sun-exposed locations, respectively. The results suggest people may be more willing to tolerate higher temperatures in shaded rather than sun-exposed locations. Moreover, cultural constraints and context-based behaviour proved to have some influences on people’s levels of adaptation and their thermal behaviour. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.