Construction of Evaluation Index System for Suitability of Sunshine and Thermal Environment of Public Activity Space for the Elderly with Young Children

With the aging of China’s population and the liberalization of the birth policy, the country’s social population structure has changed, and the public activity spaces of residential areas are expected to meet the new needs created by such change. According to the existing literature, the most common...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Minmin Yang, Yu Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/1/13
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841549380553801728
author Minmin Yang
Yu Liu
author_facet Minmin Yang
Yu Liu
author_sort Minmin Yang
collection DOAJ
description With the aging of China’s population and the liberalization of the birth policy, the country’s social population structure has changed, and the public activity spaces of residential areas are expected to meet the new needs created by such change. According to the existing literature, the most common population group in the public activity spaces in China’s current residential areas consists of the elderly with young children. However, how to evaluate the suitability of these spaces from the perspective of sunshine and thermal environments remains unclear. To fill this research gap, this article takes Xi’an as a case to explore the construction of an evaluation index system for sunshine and thermal environment suitability in the public activity spaces of residential areas for the elderly with young children. Firstly, based on field research and literature review, four initial indices were established, including sunshine demand hours, ultraviolet intensity, the universal thermal climate index (UTCI), and the wet bulb globe temperature index (WBGT). Secondly, on the basis of field research and expert interviews, these indices were revised and finalized, mainly with regard to the sunshine and thermal environment suitability for the elderly with young children in the urban residential area, so as to make the indices more in line with the actual research problems. Thirdly, a scoring method for each of the finalized indexes was proposed, resulting in a comprehensive evaluation index system. Finally, the suitability and operability of the constructed index system were validated through practical application in a sample residential area. The results show that, based on some known indices, the evaluation index system of the sunshine and thermal environment suitability of public activity space for the elderly with young children can be established. Its application is potentially helpful in making the public activity space environment in existing residential areas in China more adaptable to the needs of the elderly with young children.
format Article
id doaj-art-cd724100c9644a87a4d36fe0ebed67d4
institution Kabale University
issn 2075-5309
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Buildings
spelling doaj-art-cd724100c9644a87a4d36fe0ebed67d42025-01-10T13:15:46ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092024-12-011511310.3390/buildings15010013Construction of Evaluation Index System for Suitability of Sunshine and Thermal Environment of Public Activity Space for the Elderly with Young ChildrenMinmin Yang0Yu Liu1School of Mechanics, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710129, ChinaSchool of Mechanics, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710129, ChinaWith the aging of China’s population and the liberalization of the birth policy, the country’s social population structure has changed, and the public activity spaces of residential areas are expected to meet the new needs created by such change. According to the existing literature, the most common population group in the public activity spaces in China’s current residential areas consists of the elderly with young children. However, how to evaluate the suitability of these spaces from the perspective of sunshine and thermal environments remains unclear. To fill this research gap, this article takes Xi’an as a case to explore the construction of an evaluation index system for sunshine and thermal environment suitability in the public activity spaces of residential areas for the elderly with young children. Firstly, based on field research and literature review, four initial indices were established, including sunshine demand hours, ultraviolet intensity, the universal thermal climate index (UTCI), and the wet bulb globe temperature index (WBGT). Secondly, on the basis of field research and expert interviews, these indices were revised and finalized, mainly with regard to the sunshine and thermal environment suitability for the elderly with young children in the urban residential area, so as to make the indices more in line with the actual research problems. Thirdly, a scoring method for each of the finalized indexes was proposed, resulting in a comprehensive evaluation index system. Finally, the suitability and operability of the constructed index system were validated through practical application in a sample residential area. The results show that, based on some known indices, the evaluation index system of the sunshine and thermal environment suitability of public activity space for the elderly with young children can be established. Its application is potentially helpful in making the public activity space environment in existing residential areas in China more adaptable to the needs of the elderly with young children.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/1/13evaluationindex systemelderly with young childrenpublic activity spaceresidential areasunshine and thermal environment
spellingShingle Minmin Yang
Yu Liu
Construction of Evaluation Index System for Suitability of Sunshine and Thermal Environment of Public Activity Space for the Elderly with Young Children
Buildings
evaluation
index system
elderly with young children
public activity space
residential area
sunshine and thermal environment
title Construction of Evaluation Index System for Suitability of Sunshine and Thermal Environment of Public Activity Space for the Elderly with Young Children
title_full Construction of Evaluation Index System for Suitability of Sunshine and Thermal Environment of Public Activity Space for the Elderly with Young Children
title_fullStr Construction of Evaluation Index System for Suitability of Sunshine and Thermal Environment of Public Activity Space for the Elderly with Young Children
title_full_unstemmed Construction of Evaluation Index System for Suitability of Sunshine and Thermal Environment of Public Activity Space for the Elderly with Young Children
title_short Construction of Evaluation Index System for Suitability of Sunshine and Thermal Environment of Public Activity Space for the Elderly with Young Children
title_sort construction of evaluation index system for suitability of sunshine and thermal environment of public activity space for the elderly with young children
topic evaluation
index system
elderly with young children
public activity space
residential area
sunshine and thermal environment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/1/13
work_keys_str_mv AT minminyang constructionofevaluationindexsystemforsuitabilityofsunshineandthermalenvironmentofpublicactivityspacefortheelderlywithyoungchildren
AT yuliu constructionofevaluationindexsystemforsuitabilityofsunshineandthermalenvironmentofpublicactivityspacefortheelderlywithyoungchildren