Outdoor human comfort in an urban climate

Outdoor human comfort in an urban climate may be affected by a wide range of weather and human factors. This paper describes a research program investigating the comprehensive relationship between the comfort level of typical human activities and major weather parameters through questionnaire surveys, field measurements and statistical analyses. The study reveals the integrated effects of wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation on the human perception, preference and overall comfort in an urban environment. An equivalent temperature has been defined and related to the outdoor human comfort by considering acclimatization and other bio-meteorological principles.