Office of Core Curriculum, Singapore Management University, Singapore, Singapore.
The Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, The Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Int J Biometeorol. 2022 Feb;66(2):345-356. doi: 10.1007/s00484-021-02074-4. Epub 2021 Jan 26.
Many cities aim to progress toward their sustainability and public health goals by increasing use of their public transit systems. However, without adequate protective infrastructure that provides thermally comfortable conditions for public transit riders, it can be challenging to reach these goals in hot climates. We took micrometeorological measurements and surveyed riders about their perceptions of heat and heat-coping behaviors at bus stops with a variety of design attributes in Phoenix, AZ, USA, during the summer of 2018. We identified the design attributes and coping behaviors that made riders feel cooler. We observed that current infrastructure standards and material choices for bus stops in Phoenix are insufficient to provide thermal comfort, and can even expose riders to health risks. Almost half of the study participants felt hot or very hot at the time they were surveyed, and more than half reported feeling thermally uncomfortable. On average, shade reduced the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) by 19 °C. Moreover, we found significant diurnal differences in PET reductions from the shade provided by various design attributes. For instance, all design attributes were effective in reducing PET in the morning; however, a vegetated awning did not provide statistically significant shade reductions in the afternoon. Temperatures of sun-exposed surfaces of man-made materials exceeded skin burn thresholds in the afternoon, but shade was effective in bringing the same surfaces to safe levels. Aesthetically pleasing stops were rated as cooler than stops rated as less beautiful. We conclude that cities striving to increase public transit use should prioritize thermal comfort when designing public transit stops in hot climates.
许多城市旨在通过增加公共交通系统的使用来推进其可持续性和公共健康目标。然而，如果没有足够的保护基础设施为公共交通乘客提供舒适的热环境条件，那么在炎热的气候条件下实现这些目标可能具有挑战性。我们在美国亚利桑那州凤凰城的夏季，对具有各种设计属性的公共汽车站进行了微观气象测量，并对乘客的热感和热应对行为进行了调查。我们确定了使乘客感到凉爽的设计属性和应对行为。我们观察到，凤凰城目前的公共汽车站基础设施标准和材料选择不足以提供热舒适性，甚至会使乘客面临健康风险。几乎一半的研究参与者在接受调查时感到炎热或非常炎热，超过一半的人报告感到热不适。平均而言，遮阳篷可将生理等效温度 (PET) 降低 19°C。此外，我们还发现，各种设计属性提供的遮阳效果在白天的 PET 降低方面存在显著的昼夜差异。例如，所有设计属性在早晨都能有效降低 PET；然而，植被遮阳篷在下午并没有提供统计学上显著的遮阳效果。下午，人造材料的阳光暴露表面的温度超过了皮肤灼伤阈值，但遮阳可以有效地将相同的表面降至安全水平。美观的车站被评为比不太美观的车站凉爽。我们的结论是，在炎热气候条件下设计公共交通车站时，努力增加公共交通使用率的城市应优先考虑热舒适性。
