Recognising that modifications to the physical attributes of urban space are able to promote improved thermal outdoor conditions and thus positively influence the use of open spaces, a survey to define optimal thermal comfort ranges for passers-by in pedestrian streets was conducted in Curitiba, Brazil. We applied general additive models to study the impact of temperature, humidity, and wind, as well as long-wave and short-wave radiant heat fluxes as summarised by the recently developed Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) on the choice of clothing insulation by fitting LOESS smoothers to observations from 944 males and 710 females aged from 13 to 91 years. We further analysed votes of thermal sensation compared to predictions of UTCI. The results showed that females chose less insulating clothing in warm conditions compared to males and that observed values of clothing insulation depended on temperature, but also on season and potentially on solar radiation. The overall pattern of clothing choice was well reflected by UTCI, which also provided for good predictions of thermal sensation votes depending on the meteorological conditions. Analysing subgroups indicated that the goodness-of-fit of the UTCI was independent of gender and age, and with only limited influence of season and body composition as assessed by body mass index. This suggests that UTCI can serve as a suitable planning tool for urban thermal comfort in sub-tropical regions.
In human biometeorology, the integration of several microclimatic variables as a combined index facilitates the understanding of how users perceive thermal environments. Indices, such as the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) index, translate the combined effects of meteorological variables on humans in terms of thermal stress or comfort and serve as important aids to climate-responsive urban and regional planning as well as heat stress and thermal comfort analyses. However, there is a need for adjusting proposed comfort/stress ranges of a given index when using it in different climatic contexts. The purpose of this study is to present a preliminary calibration procedure for the PET index for three different climatic regions: Curitiba, Brazil, a subtropical location; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a tropical city; and Glasgow, UK, a high-latitude location. Field studies have been carried out by the authors according to a similar protocol and using similar equipment, yielding actual thermal sensation votes and microclimate data, post-processed as PET data. The calibration procedure uses exclusively thermal sensation data as reported by pedestrians during outdoor comfort campaigns and concurrent microclimatic data recorded during the interviews. PET comfort/stress classes differ among the three locations and, in general, are less restrictive as in the original ranges proposed by the index developers.
O lanejamento e a readequação urbana de espaços abertos são capazes e promover a melhoria das condições térmicas externas, fluenciando positivamente o uso de espaços abertos. Neste contexto, oi realizada uma pesquisa para analisar o conforto térmico de ruas de pedestre em Curitiba, Paraná. Este artigo tem como objetivo definir faixas de conforto e desconforto térmico para Curitiba, propondo tais faixas para o índice UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index) para as condições climáticas locais a partir de um percentual aceitável de pessoas insatisfeitas com o ambiente térmico no espaço aberto. Para tal, foram analisados dados climáticos e dados pessoais obtidos por meio de monitoramento de campo em ruas de pedestre. Conclui-se que o índice UTCI teve boa capacidade preditiva para a amostra analisada e que as diferenças entre os subgrupos gênero, idade e índice de massa corpórea eram pequenas. A partir das análises das respostas reais de sensação térmica sugerem-se as seguintes faixas de conforto/desconforto térmico: desconforto para o frio, Ta ≤ 15°C; conforto, 15°C < Ta < 24°C e desconforto para o calor, Ta ≥ 24°C. A análise do índice UTCI mostrou a necessidade de calibração das faixas, sendo sugeridas as seguintes faixas para situações climáticas similares às de Curitiba: desconforto para o frio, Ta ≤ 15°C; conforto, 15°C < Ta < 27°C e desconforto para o calor, Ta ≥ 27°C.
Francine Aidie Rossi
Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo propor um modelo de predição de sensação térmica adequado às condições climáticas de Curitiba/PR. Foram realizados 15 levantamentos de campo, em ruas de pedestres, no período entre janeiro e agosto de 2009 e em junho de 2010, das 10h00 as 15h00 em dias de semana. Monitoraram-se dados climáticos e levantaram-se dados pessoais, com o uso de questionários. As respostas de sensação térmica, agrupadas em três categorias, foram analisadas pela Função Discriminante Linear (FDL) e pelo Modelo de Regressão Logístico (MRL). A FDL apresentou melhor desempenho, tendo taxa total de acerto de 53%, se mostrando adequada para a predição/avaliação da sensação térmica da população analisada.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.