Assessment of urban physical features on summer thermal perceptions using the local climate zone classification

Urbanisation has changed local meteorological conditions worldwide. The physical features of outdoor spaces are critical in determining outdoor thermal comfort through changes in meteorological parameters. Past studies comparing subjective thermal perception between local climate zones (LCZ) were mainly conducted in humid subtropical regions. This study aims to investigate this relationship using outdoor thermal comfort survey data collected in three research projects in Melbourne, Australia (temperate oceanic climate) (n = 4717). The physical features investigated included the sky view factor (SVF) and LCZ classification. During Melbourne's summer, people preferred a higher PET value than neutral PET across all LCZs. People in urban green spaces (LCZs B and C) were more likely to feel ‘neutral’ when Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) was 15.5 °C–24.5 °C and less likely to feel ‘slightly warm to hot’ when PET was 24.6 °C–55.6 °C. Furthermore, LCZ 6 (LCZ C) reported the highest (lowest) percentage of unacceptable votes. Cluster analysis identified two thermal comfort patterns (neutral and warm groups) representing various thermal sensations and preferences. The thermal comfort patterns proportion differed between built LCZs (5, 6) and land cover LCZs (B, C). Logistic regression revealed that PET values and urban morphology (i.e., LCZ) contributed significantly to people's thermal sensations and acceptability for neutral and warm groups. SVF significantly predicted the thermal sensation and acceptability for the warm group but not the neutral group. Our study approach informs further research to understand the implications of urban design in outdoor spaces using thermal comfort patterns as a benchmark

Reflexões sobre o primeiro Simpósio Brasileiro de Biometeorologia Humana

Uma recente revisão sistemática da literatura revelou várias deficiências e lacunas de conhecimento na pesquisa na área de Biometeorologia realizada no Brasil. Tal fato estimulou um grupo de pesquisadores da área a fomentar iniciativas de pesquisa em temas e regiões ainda pouco exploradas no país. Motivado por isso, o grupo organizou o primeiro Simpósio Brasileiro de Biometeorologia Humana entre 4 e 8 de julho de 2022, em Natal (RN). Este artigo visa resumir os principais estudos apresentados no simpósio e destacar algumas ideias a serem seguidas em biometeorologia humana em futuras iniciativas de pesquisa.A current systematic literature review has stated several deficiencies and knowledge gaps in biometeorology research conducted in Brazil. This finding encouraged a group of local professionals in the field to foster research initiatives in topics and regions yet unexplored in the country. Motivated by that, the group organized the first Brazilian Symposium on Human Biometeorology between July 4 and 8, 2022, in Natal (RN), northeastern Brazil. This paper aims to summarize the main studies presented at the symposium and highlight a few ideas that could be pursued next in human biometeorology in future research initiatives

Insights from the first Brazilian Symposium on Human Biometeorology

A current systematic literature review has stated several deficiencies and knowledge gaps in biometeorology research conducted in Brazil. This finding encouraged a group of local professionals in the field to foster research initiatives in topics and regions yet unexplored in the country. Motivated by that, the group organized the first Brazilian Symposium on Human Biometeorology between July 4 and 8, 2022, in Natal (RN), northeastern Brazil. This paper aims to summarize the main studies presented at the symposium and highlight a few ideas that could be pursued next in human biometeorology in future research initiatives

Landscape variability of Melbourne’s botanic gardens and visitor thermal comfort

Outdoor thermal comfort is important for tourism and landscape design. Many previous studies have identified the thermal comfort range for local residents, but how it differs for overseas visitors is unknown. Improving human thermal comfort is essential as it enhances the quality of urban living and the use of outdoor space. Urban green space has previously been shown to reduce the perception of thermal discomfort under hot conditions. However, there has been limited research on the impact of different vegetation configuration on cooling the environment at a microscale. Moreover, cooling associated with irrigation is not well understood in urban green space. This study demonstrates the importance of thermal comfort in urban planning using the Royal Botanic Garden Melbourne (RBGM) and Cranbourne (RBGC) in Australia as case studies. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of heatwaves in Melbourne, which will affect the comfort of visitors to botanical gardens and parks. <br>     <br>    Weather station data in both RBGM and RBGC were compared against thermal comfort survey data from visitors during the summer of 2013/2014 (<i>n</i> = 2198 at RBGM, <i>n</i> = 1122 at RBGC). Meteorological transects were also conducted in RBGC. This study is the first to compare the results from two large botanic gardens with different irrigation regimes and plant species in Australia. Besides the survey and weather data, information regarding irrigation, soil infiltration and sky view factors were obtained to determine the effect of shading and irrigation on temperature reduction. The thermal perception of local residents before and after the unprecedented January 2014 heatwave was also compared. <br>     <br>    Overseas visitors had a fundamentally different thermal perception and preference compared with local Australian visitors. Clothing behaviour also differed between visitors from different countries of origin. This finding assists the tourism industry in marketing tourism destinations to visitors from different countries. <br>     <br>    Local Australians’ thermal perception changed after being exposed to the January 2014 heatwaves. There was an inter-daily variability of thermal perception, showing that local visitors were adaptable to the thermal environment in only a few days. Since heat acclimatization takes at least several days to a week, psychological adaptation to heat and changes in clothing behaviour explain the changes in people’s thermal perceptions in such a short time. Many thermal indices assume that people’s thermal perceptions are relatively consistent over time, at least on sub-seasonal scales. This study suggests that psychological adaptation to extreme heat should be incorporated by future thermal indices. <br>     <br>    Shading and irrigation both impacted air temperature in summer, and more so in RBGM. Highly shaded areas were 2 – 4 °C cooler than areas with limited shading during heatwave conditions. Nocturnal irrigation produced up to 1.5 °C of cooling, and a residual cooling of up to 1 °C in the early morning before 12 noon. Irrigated areas were also shown to be 1 – 2 °C cooler than non-irrigated areas. In light of hotter and drier climate in the future, this study helps both gardens with their landscape succession planning, as well as urban planning in the City of Melbourne

Summer outdoor thermal benchmarks in Melbourne: Applications of different techniques

In urban planning, sustainability is often synonymous to urban livability. Urban livability seeks to improve living conditions of current and future outdoor users and hence it has become a key priority for cities authorities. Melbourne, as the world second most livable city, sets out to improve its urban life quality through various policies and initiatives. One area of improvement is the creation of sustainable outdoor spaces that provides comfortable thermal conditions for its residents. The relevant strategies to create such spaces are supported by the knowledge of human thermal comfort requirements, particularly during the summer thermal conditions. Hence, this study aims to develop comprehensive thermal comfort benchmarks for Melbourne during the summer. This study builds on 4717 subjective survey responses collected in seven urban environments with different settings. Data collection was performed in Melbourne's summer from 2012 to 2015. Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) was used to predict thermal comfort conditions. The results were based on four thermal comfort measures (neutral temperature, preferred temperature, acceptable thermal range and thermal comfort range). The analysis' outcomes suggested that Melbourne's summer acceptable thermal range is between 11.3 °C and 20.3 °C, the preferred temperature value is 21.5 °C, the neutral temperature value is 16.1 °C. Furthermore, PET index was calibrated against thermal responses collected from the surveys. The results would help to inform policies aiming to create sustainable outdoor spaces that are pleasant to outdoor users in Melbourne

Outdoor thermal comfort assessment: A review on thermal comfort research in Australia

Outdoor thermal comfort could significantly affect the usage and success of urban places. Accordingly, it is recommended to be considered in both urban design and planning projects. Urbanisation has been recognised as a major factor in elevated daily temperature values in Australia. This study aims to investigate the past and current position of outdoor thermal comfort studies in the Australian context. A critical review is conducted to examine the quality of thermal comfort assessment in Australia's cities. Twenty-five studies were reviewed to give a precise overview of past thermal comfort studies. The review scrutinises the focus of research, methodologies applied, data collection methods and results. This review helps main stakeholders in urban development better understand the evolution of outdoor thermal comfort with respect to liveability. In this line, where possible, the shortcomings are identified, certain solutions are provided and the need for further research is highlighted. In particular, future studies are necessary to cover missing geographical regions and ethnicities that are not considered in the existing literature. Furthermore, more psychological thermal adaptation studies are necessary, especially in transient thermal conditions. Qualitative analysis is also recommended to be incorporated in further studies in addition to considering the perceived environmental quality. The study serves as a reference to researchers, urban designers and planners to enhance their knowledge for achieving outdoor thermal comfort and understanding the gaps that need to be addressed in further studies

Experiential learning in a postgraduate writing group: fostering scholarly writing

In our writing group, the facilitator and four PhD students from disparate research fields collaborated together to write an academic publication. This learning activity was developed to give students an experiential learning environment to deepen their understanding about the scholarly publication process. This presentation will discuss how this learning activity was developed, highlight students’ reflections about the teaching strategy, and describe the overall outcomes of the activity

Spatially-heterogeneous impacts of surface characteristics on urban thermal environment, a case of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area

One-size-fits-all approach is common in climate-sensitive urban design due to neglecting spatial heterogeneities in urban form and urban climate. This study explores a spatially-varied climate-sensitive urban design based on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA). Three thermal indices, the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), the Apparent Temperature (AT), and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) are used to assess the outdoor thermal environments. The local climate zone (LCZ) classification system is used to map urban form including built and land-cover types. Moreover, incorporating spatial effects, geographically weighted regression (GWR) models are used to account for spatially-varied thermal variations due to urban form changes. Our findings indicate that the large low-rise type (LCZ 8) needs more attention in built-up planning for thermal mitigation, and urban low plants type (LCZ D) should be a more effective nature-based climate mitigation strategy compared with the water bodies (LCZ G). The GWR results show a stronger consistency between UTCI and LCZ 8 and LCZ D, compared with WBGT and AT. UTCI is thus suggested for application in future urban climate studies. More importantly, the spatially-varied relationship between UTCI and urban form specifies the strategies and appropriate locations for thermal mitigation in climate-sensitive urban design

Reflection for learning in doctoral training: writing groups, academic writing proficiency and reflective practice

This literature review highlights the benefits of participating in a doctoral writing group, with specific emphasis on how these learning communities foster reflective practice skills development. In particular, this review proposes that the process of continuous peer feedback and discussion benefits students by helping them verbalise their internal reflective thinking, fostering reflective practice skills development through various authentic learning experiences. Consequently, this review highlights the importance of establishing and supporting doctoral writing groups to further develop doctoral students’ personal epistemology, growth and professional practice