Investigating the Relationship between Landscape Design Types and Human Thermal Comfort: Case Study of Beijing Olympic Forest Park

Simple Summary Beijing, China, is a megacity with a population of more than 20 million. The hot summer climate and environmental problems caused by urbanization affect the quality of human settlements. Based on the measured data in the Beijing Olympic Forest Park and the analysis of the human body comfort index model, the study concluded that the thermal comfort level of the double-layer plant community area composed of tall deciduous trees such as Sophora japonica and Ginkgo biloba and shrubs or grass native cover plants was higher than that of other areas. Urban green space can improve the local thermal environment and thus the quality of the urban residential environment. Taking the green space of Beijing Olympic Forest Park (BOFP) as an example, this study analysed sample points representing different plant community structures, plant community types, and landscape environments based on 15 years of continuous dynamic measurement and selected typical annual data (from 2020). The study analysed and explained the spatial differentiation characteristics of human thermal comfort (HTC) in green space areas of BOFP using the predicted mean vote (PMV)-predicted percentage dissatisfied (PPD) physical comfort index model, which comprehensively considers both the objective environment and people's subjective feelings and psychological states. The results showed that the level of HTC in the park's green space, across community types and across typical landscape environments, differed between areas with different community structures. PMV-PPD mathematical model fitting further verified the above results.

Automated summary

Beijing, with a population of over 20 million, faces challenges in terms of hot summer climate and environmental issues caused by urbanization. This study analyzed data from Beijing Olympic Forest Park and concluded that the thermal comfort level was higher in the double-layer plant community area composed of deciduous trees and native cover plants. Urban green spaces can enhance the local thermal environment and improve the quality of urban residential areas.