Measuring the Effect of Thermal Radiation on Pedestrian Comfort

Abstract

Puerto Rico is a moderately sized island in the Caribbean Sea; a location characterized by direct and consistent solar exposure throughout the year. Such consistent exposure to solar radiation would naturally have a greater impact on the thermal comfort of pedestrian than it would in more temperate zones. The objective of this research is the development of a methodology to measure the levels of thermal radiation affecting pedestrian facilities and to directly relate these results to pedestrian thermal comfort. The measurement of temperature should take into consideration three distinct sources of thermal radiation, all of which have a direct effect over pedestrian facilities: a) the direct solar radiation from the sun, b) the thermal radiation that is emitted from the heated pavement surface, and c) the thermal radiation resulting from vehicular activity in close proximity to pedestrian facilities. A plate thermometer was designed and used for temperature measurement. The use of a plate thermometer allows measurement of thermal radiation emitted from a single angle and simultaneously isolates the rest of the device. Sites with high and low amount of shadow were selected, in order to quantitatively assess the effect of the shadow in pedestrian comfort. The final step is the data analysis to develop empirical relations between the collected data and literature recommended standards for outdoor comfort. The obtained data should provide useful information for pedestrian facilities design in areas or regions with high levels of solar exposure, and for future development of pedestrian studies in regions that are exposed to microclimates.