General comfort prediction model recommendations on the combined effects of thermal, auditory and visual comfort on urban public open space users

Urban areas with physical environment elements (heat, light, sound, etc.) that change according to seasons and time of day have significant effects on users' environmental assessments and quality of life. It is necessary to investigate and evaluate the combined effects of multiple physical environment elements on the environmental perception and thermal, auditory, visual and general comfort of open space users. In this context, the thesis study aims to evaluate the equivalent general comfort of users under different conditions of the thermal, auditory and visual environment through field studies on urban public open spaces and to propose general comfort prediction models. The study is based on a pilot study carried out on the open spaces of the university campus in Eskişehir and a field study carried out in four park open spaces. In this context, the relationship between objective parameters of various physical environment elements in relevant areas and users' subjective evaluations obtained from surveys regarding the perception and comfort of the physical environment was investigated through statistical analysis. Research results show that sound pressure level, horizontal-vertical brightness level and universal thermal comfort index (UTCI) have a significant effect on environmental perception and general comfort for winter, summer and autumn seasons. Within the scope of the thesis, general comfort prediction models have been developed for the summer-autumn seasons and four seasons, as well as the relevant seasons, and objective design suggestions and improvement strategies have been proposed to increase the general comfort level of the relevant areas.