Thermal Comfort and Restorative Benefits of Waterfront Green Spaces for College Students in Hot and Humid Regions

Bixue Huang, Yang Zhao (), Jiahao Yang, Wanying Wang, Tongye Guo, Xinyi Luo and Meng Du
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Bixue Huang: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Yang Zhao: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Jiahao Yang: School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
Wanying Wang: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Tongye Guo: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Xinyi Luo: School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Meng Du: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-24

Abstract: Global climate change presents a serious threat to the sustainable development of human society, highlighting the urgent need to develop effective adaptation strategies to mitigate the impact of climate-related disasters. Campus waterfront green spaces, integral to the blue-green infrastructure, have been demonstrated to facilitate stress recovery. However, in hot and humid regions, severe outdoor thermal conditions may impair students’ mental and physical health and cognitive function, leading to symptoms such as increased stress, anxiety, and depression. This study examined the influence of outdoor thermal environments on health recovery by selecting three different waterfront green spaces in this climate: Space A (medium water body, sky view factor (SVF) = 0.228), Space B (large water body, SVF = 0.808), and Space C (small water body, SVF = 0.292). The volunteers’ thermal comfort and the restorative benefits of these spaces were evaluated via the perceived restorativeness scale (PRS), heart rate (HR), and electrodermal activity (EDA). We found variations in the neutral physiological equivalent temperature (PET) across the spaces, with values of 28.1 °C (A), 28.9 °C (B), and 29.1 °C (C). The lowest skin conductance recovery rate (R SC ) at 0.8811 was observed in Space B, suggesting suboptimal physiological recovery, despite higher scores in psychological recovery (fascination) at 15.23. The level of thermal comfort in this hot and humid region showed a negative correlation with the overall PRS score, the “being away” dimension, and heart rate recovery (R HR ). At a lightly warm stress level, where PET increased from 31.0 to 35.7 °C, R SC peaked between 1.45 and 1.53 across all spaces. These insights provide guidance for urban designers and planners in creating waterfront green space designs that can improve the urban microclimate and promote thermal health, achieving sustainable health.

Keywords: thermal comfort; thermal index model; restoration; blue and green spaces; thermal health; physiological signal; sustainable health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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