Modeling spatial variations in energy budgets of humans exercising in outdoor urban recreational parks and spaces

Continuing growth of cities and the intensification of Urban Heat Islands has provoked research into outdoor human comfort assessments pertaining to human health. Urban and recreational planning must incorporate the use of bioclimatic design in order to provide suitable spaces for exercise, which can increase the number of people using outdoor urban area, and benefit health and society as a whole.

The current study applied the COMFA (COMfort FormulA) outdoor model to simulate and spatially analyze the thermal comfort of users exercising in four outdoor parks in Toronto, Canada, during the summer of 2009. This is a direct example of how a thermo-physical based numerical model can link the outdoor climate–human relationship with design of neighbourhoods and recreational parks. This work is a result of an interdisciplinary research into human physiology, psychology, human health, climatology, and landscape design, with an ambition to connect such topics to sustainable bioclimatic urban design.

Further applications of this model include quantifying crucial weather parameters for heat events, estimating and mapping greenspace present and/or needed in built-up areas, and analysing thermal comfort and health trends of various urban regions.