Indicators of environmental comfort sensitive to human perception

This chapter introduces environmental experience as a theoretical framework that describes people's perceptions of urban places. Its aim is to describe indicators that quantify how people perceive urban environmental conditions and evaluate its level of comfort. Factors considered in the environmental comfort assessment are soundscape, thermal comfort, and natural light quality, and indicators that quantify these factors are presented and discussed. Projects are also described where environmental comfort assessments have been incorporated into urban design or management strategies. Lastly, examples are presented of ICT tools that facilitate participative observation of public places. The chapter concludes with suggestions to raise awareness of the importance of perception-driven approaches in urban assessment and design. Main conclusion is that there is a need to build consensus on the methods to address subjectivity and to exchange experiences showing the potential of these studies.