Adapting to the heat and enhancing user comfort outdoors: climate-responsive strategies and social implications

This chapter begins by discussing how urban microclimates contribute to the urban heat island effect. It then explores the relationship between microclimates and the thermal comfort of urban users, emphasizing the role of thermal materiality for urban comfort and urban design in shaping microclimates to promote user comfort. To achieve this, the chapter presents a range of climate-responsive design strategies to increase adaptation and resilience that can be implemented at the neighborhood scale, including green infrastructure, shading, and building design. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach that considers both the physical and social dimensions of urban heat mitigation, ensuring that the needs of all users, including vulnerable populations, are met.