Pedestrian thermal comfort mapping for evidence-based urban planning; an interdisciplinary, low-resource, and user-friendly approach

As climate change and urbanisation intensify urban heat stress, ensuring outdoor thermal comfort is essential for sustainable and climate-resilient cities. However, decision-making is often hindered by gaps in methodology, data accessibility, and the integration of research into urban planning practice. This research addresses these challenges through a comprehensive approach that combines a systematic review of thermal comfort research, the development of a novel low-cost monitoring device, and the creation of an interdisciplinary methodology for climate-adapted urban design.

The systematic review identifies key methodological gaps and the barriers that prevent thermal comfort research from effectively informing urban planning. It highlights the need for integrated approaches that bridge empirical data collection and real-world applications. 

To address this gap and the lack of accessible high-resolution climate data, UrbanMobiClim was developed - a low-cost, user-friendly, mobile meteorological device. UrbanMobiClim was compared to high-cost, established devices to demonstrate its suitability for precise thermal comfort mapping and the identification of critical areas for intervention.

To translate this data into actionable urban planning strategies, an interdisciplinary methodology is proposed, integrating mobile climate measurements with pedestrian thermal comfort surveys. By capturing both objective meteorological data and subjective human experience, this framework provides a holistic understanding of urban heat exposure. A prioritisation method was developed to systematically identify intervention areas, while targeted design strategies were explored to enhance outdoor livability.

Building on these findings, this research is now being applied beyond academia to enhance real-world urban adaptation efforts. By making climate data more accessible and actionable, these insights empower urban planners, policymakers, and local stakeholders to implement evidence-based strategies for mitigating urban heat and improving outdoor thermal comfort in cities.