Exploring the Impact of Street Environment Factors on Pedestrian Thermal Comfort in Tokyo’s Transit-Oriented Zones

Keywords: Pedestrian thermal comfort, Tokyo Transit-Oriented Development, high-density urban areas, street view images
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

With intensifying global warming and increased human activity, urban heat islands have become a significant obstacle to promoting active transportation in cities. High-density urban areas, often experience extreme heat, face unique challenges in promoting pedestrian thermal comfort. This makes it essential to examine how various street environmental factors impact the comfort of urban walkers. Tokyo’s extensive Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) has led to its rail core stations being surrounded by some of the city’s most heavily trafficked pedestrian areas, making it the city an idea location for studying the pedestrian thermal comfort. To address this, our study focuses on the 15-minute walking zones around the five busiest rail transit stations in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

This research utilizes over 30,000 street view images (360-degree panoramic), collected at 50-meter intervals throughout the streets, along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and surface temperature data, to provide a comprehensive analysis of the environmental factors affecting pedestrian thermal comfort. Subjective thermal comfort responses were collected through a survey of 500 participants, and spatial regression models were applied to examine the spatial relationship between thermal comfort and environmental variables.

The findings of this study aim to deepen our understanding of how specific street environment factors contribute to thermal comfort in Tokyo’s high-density areas. By integrating subjective and objective data with the spatial flexibility of spatial regression models, this research provides insights into the design of streetscapes that enhance pedestrian comfort and foster the development of climate-resilient, pedestrian-friendly urban environments in cities facing extreme climate.