Engrained experience—a comparison of microclimate perception schemata and microclimate measurements in Dutch urban squares

Acceptance of public spaces is often guided by perceptual schemata. Such schemata also seem to play a role in thermal comfort and microclimate experience. For climate-responsive design with a focus on thermal comfort it is important to acquire knowledge about these schemata. For this purpose, perceived and “real” microclimate situations were compared for three Dutch urban squares. People were asked about their long-term microclimate perceptions, which resulted in “cognitive microclimate maps”. These were compared with mapped microclimate data from measurements representing the common microclimate when people stay outdoors. The comparison revealed some unexpected low matches; people clearly overestimated the influence of the wind. Therefore, a second assumption was developed: that it is the more salient wind situations that become engrained in people’s memory. A comparison using measurement data from windy days shows better matches. This suggests that these more salient situations play a role in the microclimate schemata that people develop about urban places. The consequences from this study for urban design are twofold. Firstly, urban design should address not only the “real” problems, but, more prominently, the “perceived” problems. Secondly, microclimate simulations addressing thermal comfort issues in urban spaces should focus on these perceived, salient situations

Group differences in the aesthetic evaluation of nature development plans:A multilevel approach

The study presented here addresses theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of the issue of group differences in the aesthetic evaluation of natural landscapes. Beauty ratings of an agrarian landscape and five computer simulations of nature development plans in this landscape were collected in a field study. Three different user groups, each consisting of 28 respondents, were distinguished: farmers, residents (nonfarmers) and visiting cyclists. Ratings on predictor variables were given by the respondents themselves, as well as by a group of 12 experts on nature development. Results of multilevel statistical analysis show differences in beauty ratings of nature development plans as a function of user background. Beauty ratings of residents and visitors were positively related to typical characteristics of nature development plans (wetness, roughness and noncultivatedness), while farmers' beauty ratings were negatively related to these characteristics. In each group, beauty ratings were positively related to perceived complexity, coherence, mystery and biodiversity. However, perceptions of these characteristics were found to be highly subjective. Possible explanations of the user-group differences in terms of background variables such as familiarity and education level are discussed, as well as implications for theoretical and management concerns. (C) 1998 Academic Press

The social dimensions of a river’s environmental quality assessment

International audienceIntegrated water resources management, promoted in developed countries, obliges to integrate social aspects with hydrological and ecological dimensions when assessing river quality. To better understand these social aspects, we propose a mixed-method to study public perceptions of an impounded river. Since the 1930s, the management of the Ain river (France) has been challenged by conflicts about the river's quality. We surveyed (using interviews and mental maps) various stakeholders along the river. The results based on textual and content analysis show variations in the public's perceptions according to the residence area, practices, and the degree of emotional attachment to the river. The assessment of environmental quality needs to take into account different types of knowledge, sometimes conflicting, that reveal and shape the variety of waterscapes which compose the Ain River. The social dimensions highlight integrated water management's inherent complexity by considering the river basin as a place to live and by involving multiple stakeholders