Multisensory human vulnerability assessments in outdoor environments are needed, as existing approaches often neglect the simultaneous exposure to multiple environmental stimuli. While Local Climate Zones (LCZs) effectively map urban microclimates, they overlook human activity impact on environmental conditions. This study addresses these gaps by integrating dynamic anthropogenic influences with traditional urban structure metrics and introducing Multisensory Urban Climate Zones (MUCZs) as an LCZ extension. Once identified LCZs, the proposed methodology enhanced thermal mapping accuracy through mobile monitoring transects and crowd-sourced meteorological data. Human activity datasets were also integrated to capture real-time environmental conditions and behavior. The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) was calculated from these sources and correlated to Local Climate Zones (LCZs) assessing the influence of urban structure and human activity on it. Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) allowed to spatially model the most prominent multidomain comfort patterns. Findings reveal that air pollution significantly decreases thermal comfort, with the Universal Air Quality Index (UAQI) positively correlated with UTCI in dense urban areas (r=0.55 at 5 PM). In contrast, Ecological Connectivity (EC) mitigates thermal stress, showing a negative correlation (r=-0.28 to-0.29 at 10 AM and 5 PM). These results suggest that human-driven factors can influence outdoor comfort as much as urban form variables. While urban structure is difficult to be modified, human activity is adaptable. By integrating human-centric indicators into the LCZ framework, MUCZs enhance urban climate mapping, offering a granular, behavior-sensitive approach that bridges the gap between static urban form and dynamic human activity. This framework supports localized human centric adaptation strategies to improve urban resilience and wellbeing in a changing climate.
Grapas, C., Pisello, A.L., Pigliautile, I., Guattari, C., De Cristo, E. (2025). Multisensory Urban Climate Zones (MUCZ): A Framework for Mapping Dynamic Multidomain Human Comfort in Complex Urban Fabrics beyond Urban Morphology. SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY, 131 [10.1016/j.scs.2025.106673].
Multisensory Urban Climate Zones (MUCZ): A Framework for Mapping Dynamic Multidomain Human Comfort in Complex Urban Fabrics beyond Urban Morphology
Guattari C.;De Cristo E.
2025-01-01
Abstract
Multisensory human vulnerability assessments in outdoor environments are needed, as existing approaches often neglect the simultaneous exposure to multiple environmental stimuli. While Local Climate Zones (LCZs) effectively map urban microclimates, they overlook human activity impact on environmental conditions. This study addresses these gaps by integrating dynamic anthropogenic influences with traditional urban structure metrics and introducing Multisensory Urban Climate Zones (MUCZs) as an LCZ extension. Once identified LCZs, the proposed methodology enhanced thermal mapping accuracy through mobile monitoring transects and crowd-sourced meteorological data. Human activity datasets were also integrated to capture real-time environmental conditions and behavior. The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) was calculated from these sources and correlated to Local Climate Zones (LCZs) assessing the influence of urban structure and human activity on it. Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) allowed to spatially model the most prominent multidomain comfort patterns. Findings reveal that air pollution significantly decreases thermal comfort, with the Universal Air Quality Index (UAQI) positively correlated with UTCI in dense urban areas (r=0.55 at 5 PM). In contrast, Ecological Connectivity (EC) mitigates thermal stress, showing a negative correlation (r=-0.28 to-0.29 at 10 AM and 5 PM). These results suggest that human-driven factors can influence outdoor comfort as much as urban form variables. While urban structure is difficult to be modified, human activity is adaptable. By integrating human-centric indicators into the LCZ framework, MUCZs enhance urban climate mapping, offering a granular, behavior-sensitive approach that bridges the gap between static urban form and dynamic human activity. This framework supports localized human centric adaptation strategies to improve urban resilience and wellbeing in a changing climate.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
