The rising incidence of extreme heat in urban areas poses challenges to urban living, affecting thermal comfort and public health. Public green spaces (PGS), such as parks, play a crucial role in mitigating heat and acting as 'cooling oases' that enhance visitors' thermal comfort and offer various other ecosystem services. Despite their importance, the specific role of thermal comfort in motivating individuals to visit PGS remains unclear. This study aims to explore the connection between thermal comfort and PGS visits on hot days, with a focus on visitor motivations and the park features that promote comfort. We conducted systematic observations involving quantitative counts of PGS visitors and rapid questionnaires on summer days of varying temperature ranges in Bochum City Park, Germany. Results indicated that the motivation to achieve thermal comfort by visiting the park significantly increased from ‘slightly warm’ to ‘warm’ days, especially among older visitors, and was independent of other motivations for visiting. Furthermore, results showed that the perceived temperature has a limited impact on the use of PGS features, with sun exposure emerging as a decisive factor. The findings can inform the planning and design of PGS, with the aim of creating desirable and thermally comfortable environments as cooling oases for urban residents.

中文翻译：

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德国波鸿城市公园炎热天气下的游客动机和设计特点


城市地区极端高温的发生率不断上升，对城市生活构成挑战，影响热舒适度和公共卫生。公园等公共绿地 （PGS） 在缓解热量和充当“冷却绿洲”方面发挥着至关重要的作用，可以提高游客的热舒适度并提供各种其他生态系统服务。尽管热舒适很重要，但在激励个人访问 PGS 方面的具体作用仍不清楚。本研究旨在探讨热舒适度与炎热天气 PGS 访问之间的联系，重点关注游客动机和促进舒适度的公园特征。我们进行了系统观察，包括对 PGS 访客的定量计数和对德国波鸿城市公园不同温度范围的夏日进行快速问卷调查。结果表明，通过参观公园实现热舒适的动机从“略微温暖”的日子显着增加到“温暖”的日子，尤其是在老年游客中，并且独立于其他参观动机。此外，结果表明，感知温度对 PGS 特征的使用影响有限，阳光照射成为决定性因素。研究结果可以为 PGS 的规划和设计提供信息，旨在为城市居民创造理想且热舒适的环境作为凉爽的绿洲。