Research Output

@article{Peng2021,

title = {Heterogeneity in outdoor comfort assessment in urban public spaces},

author = {Y. Peng and T. Feng and H. J. P. Timmermans},

doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147941},

issn = {18791026},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

journal = {Science of the Total Environment},

volume = {790},

abstract = {The assessment of outdoor comfort can provide valuable insights into the quality of urban public spaces. Rational indices based on the heat-balance model have been extensively used for assessing thermal comfort in various outdoor environments for a long time. However, a growing body of literature is arguing the theoretical limitations of rational indices, including the lack of contextual considerations and the non-consideration of the active role of human being. Furthermore, the well-documented inconsistency in previous investigations suggests individuals' heterogeneous thermal expectations, preferences and adaptations typically depend on person-related and place-related contexts. Nevertheless, the study of heterogeneity in comfort assessment remains fragmentary. In an attempt to incorporate heterogeneity into a comprehensive conceptual framework of outdoor comfort, this study develops a latent class path model based on empirical data of 701 respondents from Eindhoven, the Netherlands. We identified two latent classes associated with different causal structures underlying the assessment of outdoor comfort. Meanwhile, the membership of latent classes is identified based on respondents' socio-demographic and behavioral covariates. The results show that, with respect to the influence on comfort assessment, the exogenous and endogenous variables are varying in effectiveness and strength between the two latent classes. Latent class 1 assesses the outdoor comfort mainly based on thermal sensation and expectations of thermal and wind conditions, whereas latent class 2 comprehensively considered both thermal and non-thermal influences, especially, the psychological acceptability and need satisfaction of outdoor activity. Our findings suggest that, in addition to the expanded framework of outdoor comfort study, understanding the heterogeneity in respondents' comfort perception is needed to comprehensively address the approaches to archive the comfortable urban public spaces in design, planning and management practices.},

keywords = {Heterogeneity, Latent class path model, Outdoor comfort, Urban public space},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Peng2021b,

title = {Assessing comfort in urban public spaces: A structural equation model involving environmental attitude and perception},

author = {Y. Peng and Z. Peng and T. Feng and C. Zhong and W. Wang},

doi = {10.3390/ijerph18031287},

issn = {16604601},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

journal = {International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health},

volume = {18},

issue = {3},

abstract = {The research of comfort in urban public spaces has become increasingly important for improving environmental quality and encouraging people spend more time in outdoor activities. Among numerous approaches to understand comfort perception, the rational indices based on heat balance theory have prevailed to guide the research and practice in urban planning, design, and management. The limitations of a solely rational index-based approach reveal the necessity for a more comprehensive understanding of comfort by considering a wider range of influential factors from both individual and environmental perspectives during the assessing process. This study conceptualizes individuals’ comfort in urban public spaces as a latent construct, which is mea-sured by indicators regarding perceptions on multifarious meteorological variables. The conceptual framework has been introduced involving hypothetical relationships among individuals’ comfort, attitudes, and environmental perceptions in urban public spaces. A series of field work including microclimate measurements and questionnaire-based surveys were carried out in two public squares in Changsha, China. Based on the dataset derived from 372 questionnaires and related meteorological measurements, this paper examines the relationships between the physical microclimatic variables, individuals’ socio-demographical characteristics and environmental attitudes and perceptions, and outdoor comfort assessment. The estimation results of the structural equation model quantitatively verified the conceptual framework at large, as many hypothetical relationships are identified, which indicates the importance of individuals’ role and the psychological factors in modeling comfort per-ception. This approach improves the understanding of comfort assessment, contributes to improving the quality of urban environment and the practices of urban planning and management.},

keywords = {Environmental attitude, Environmental perception, Outdoor comfort, Structural equation model, Urban public space},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Li2020b,

title = {Perceived quality of urban wetland parks: A second-order factor structure equation modeling},

author = {J. Li and Q. Pan and Y. Peng and T. Feng and S. Liu and X. Cai and C. Zhong and Y. Yin and W. Lai},

doi = {10.3390/su12177204},

issn = {20711050},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-01-01},

journal = {Sustainability (Switzerland)},

volume = {12},

issue = {17},

abstract = {Wetland in the urban or peri-urban areas has been recognized as an important component of urban ecosystems and provides ecological and environmental services. Wetland park emerged as a kind of restoration of natural wetlands in the context of increasing pressure on land and eco-environment caused by urban sprawl, which has played an essential role in providing recreational spaces/opportunities and improving social interactions. However, little research has been conducted on the theoretical formulation elaborating individuals' perceived quality of wetland parks when people are engaging in activities therein. This study is an attempt to develop a method to measure the quality of wetland parks based on individuals' various perceptions and attitudes. From the view of human-nature interaction, the perceived quality is hypothetically conceptualized as a composite of two dimensions, such as comfort perception and environmental satisfaction. A series of questionnaire-based surveys were conducted among respondents (N = 936) in Yanghu wetland park in Changsha, China. Based on the measured items from on-site surveys, second-order factor structural equation modeling is applied to estimate the hypothesis of a hierarchical structure for elaborating how the quality of wetland park is perceived by individual respondents. The results test the hypothesis that the quality of wetland park as a second-order theoretical construct can be conceptualized by two first-order theoretical constructs, individuals' comfort (loading = 0.749), and environmental satisfaction (loading = 0.828). In addition, a significant influence of attitudes toward green space on the perceived quality of wetland park has been identified.},

keywords = {Attitude toward green space, Environmental satisfaction, Outdoor comfort, Perceived quality, Second-order factor structural equation modeling, Urban wetland park},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Peng2019,

title = {Expanded comfort assessment in outdoor urban public spaces using Box-Cox transformation},

author = {Y. Peng and T. Feng and H. J. P. Timmermans},

doi = {10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.103594},

issn = {01692046},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-01-01},

journal = {Landscape and Urban Planning},

volume = {190},

abstract = {In order to assess outdoor comfort of individuals, this paper discusses the results of an expanded non-linear model using Box-Cox transformation. Instead of thermal sensation, individuals’ comfort assessment was used as the dependent variable. Further, a flexible non-linear model that allows for decreasing or increasing marginal effects of the explanatory variables on the ratings of outdoor comfort was specified. Apart from the physical microclimatic and environmental attributes, the variables related to the socio-demographics, emotional status, expectations, preference, perceptions and behavioral aspects were also incorporated in the model. To reduce the potential dependency of results on the sampled locations, a stated choice experiment was designed to systematically vary the conditions with different combinations of spatial attributes. The data was collected through a structured questionnaire and physical measurements of the surrounding environment from eight public spaces in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Results show that the influence of non-physical factors, such as socio-demographics, behavioral and psychological attributes, on outdoor comfort are substantial and significant.},

keywords = {Box-Cox transformation, Expanded model, Non-linear model, Outdoor comfort},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Peng2019b,

title = {A path analysis of outdoor comfort in urban public spaces},

author = {Y. Peng and T. Feng and H. Timmermans},

doi = {10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.11.023},

issn = {03601323},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-01-01},

journal = {Building and Environment},

volume = {148},

abstract = {Research on outdoor comfort generally focuses on the thermal sensation as a substitute for actual comfort. The assessment of outdoor comfort, however, is complex in nature because it involves various contextual settings in open spaces, individuals' social demographics, and psychological factors. In contributing to the existing literature, this study attempts to extend the modelling framework of outdoor comfort assessment by incorporating physical microclimate, spatial contexts, social demographics and individuals' subjective perceptions, expectations and preferences. A path analysis is conducted to capture the direct and indirect effects of various factors on comfort using the data collected in a field experiment. Results show that the causal dependency, which is normally simplified in existing studies, can be better illustrated with the indirect effects through mediators. The use of objective indicators and individuals’ subjective factors are fundamental to adequately capture the actual comfort in urban public spaces.},

keywords = {Indirect effects, Outdoor activity, Outdoor comfort, Psychological factors, Thermal sensation},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}