Summer Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Urban Commercial Pedestrian Streets in Severe Cold Regions of China

This paper investigates outdoor thermal comfort in summer in commercial pedestrian streets in Harbin, using meteorological measurements and questionnaire surveys (1013 valid questionnaires). The results demonstrate that: (1) Thermal sensation has a lower range in an outdoor environment with smaller sky view factor (SVF) and less fluctuation, while the thermal sensation vote (TSV) range is more dispersed in an outdoor environment with larger SVF and more fluctuation; (2) In the urban, high-density commercial districts in Harbin, the air temperature and solar radiation have a greater influence on outdoor thermal sensation, while wind speed has less of an influence, and residents in areas with less fluctuations are more sensitive to air temperature and solar radiation; (3) The universal thermal climate index (UTCI) can accurately evaluate outdoor thermal comfort in Harbin in summer, with a neutral UTCI value of 19.3 degrees C and a range from 15.6 to 23.0 degrees C; (4) The actual acceptable thermal range is 16.8-29.3 degrees C, and this takes into account the psychological adaptation of the residents, which provides a more practical reference value; (5) With reference to the psychological adaptation, the outdoor thermal sensation of residents in early summer is about 0.5 TSV higher than that in late summer. These results provide a theoretical basis and a technical reference for the design of commercial pedestrian streets in severe cold regions.