Thermal comfort in open public spaces – A critical review in Indian context

Abstract

Outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) studies have gained global attention in the last two decades, with noteworthy results of increasing heat stress. Heat Issues in urban areas disturb the thermal balance and create a dilapidated urban living environment. The thermal environment is quite influencing in promoting open public spaces. India, a tropical country, deals with intense heat issues periodically throughout the year. There has been an increasing trend of OTC studies in India in the last decade. It is necessary to chronicle the state of knowledge and the current circumstances in the country.

The study aims to investigate, analyze, and summarize the ongoing scenario of OTC studies in the Indian context. This systematic literature review (SLR) is a comprehensive analysis of 38 studies obtained and reviewed through five stages. It investigates the available database to understand the thermal environment, thermal parameters, perception, preference, and overall thermal comfort in open spaces between different built forms. The outcome expansively summarises the various parameters, approaches, and scenarios to assess OTC. The findings of the study encourage the annual assessment of OTC conditions with consideration of several aspects of different climatic zones. Standardization in the process of OTC assessment and the development of OTC models in the Indian Scenario is found to be of utmost importance. Thermal neutrality values were found to vary between 19 °C - 32 °C over several locations. The in-depth discussion has addressed the precise gaps and future scope, specifically in the Indian context.