Article
Comparing the Current and Future Thermal Comfort Offered by Urban Park Configurations Maassoumeh Barghchi, Bill Grace, Julian Bolleter * and Nicole Edwards Australian Urban Design Research Centre (AUDRC), School of Design, The University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia; bill.grace@uwa.edu.au (B.G.); nicole.edwards@uwa.edu.au (N.E.) * Correspondence: juliuan.bolleter@uwa.edu.au
Abstract
Academic Editor: Thomas
There is growing interest in utilising urban parks as nature-based solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change and rising temperatures by improving thermal comfort. Nonetheless, understanding remains limited on how different park configurations influence summer thermal comfort, particularly under future warming scenarios. This novel study evaluates park configurations across different neighbourhood layouts within Perth’s Mediterranean climate under both present and future conditions. Study precincts were modelled and simulated using ENVI-met version 5.5 for an average current summer day, based on 25 years of local weather data and climate projections for 2090 under the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 scenario, representing the worst-case scenario. Results showed that park surfaces were consistently cooler than surrounding streets based on LST; however, this did not always translate into improved thermal comfort, as exposed grass areas often exhibited high Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) values. PET has been confirmed as the most suitable outdoor human thermal comfort index. Canopy cover and vegetation type, particularly tall trees and bushland, were more influential than park size or configuration in enhancing thermal comfort. These findings provide evidence-based insights, highlighting the importance of strategies that prioritise tree canopy coverage to enhance urban cooling and resilience to climate change.
Panagopoulos Received: 29 September 2025 Revised: 23 October 2025
Keywords: parks; climate change; microclimate; neighbourhood layout; thermal comfort; Park Cool Island; park cooling distance
Accepted: 30 October 2025 Published: 31 October 2025 Citation: Barghchi, M.; Grace, B.; Bolleter, J.; Edwards, N. Comparing the Current and Future Thermal Comfort Offered by Urban Park Configurations. Land 2025, 14, 2172. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14112172 Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/license s/by/4.0/).
Land 2025, 14, 2172
1. Introduction The projected climate-driven risks to people in cities and urban areas have increased significantly. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts a ‘highly challenging future’ for Australia, with significant disruptions expected for both human and natural systems [1]. Australian cities are particularly vulnerable to climate hazards, encompassing both gradual changes, such as rising temperatures, and extreme events, including heatwaves, floods, and bushfires. These changes threaten ecosystems that underpin social well-being, deliver essential health services, and provide protection against natural disasters [2]. Heatwaves represent one of Australia’s most severe natural hazards, causing more fatalities than all other natural disasters combined [3,4]. Under the highemission SSP5-8.5 climate change scenario, annual temperatures in southern Western Australia (e.g., Perth) are projected to increase by 2.7 to 4.2 °C [5]. While this scenario is undoubtedly extreme [6], it offers valuable insights into potential temperature changes
https://doi.org/10.3390/land14112172