The thermal walk investigates the influence of urban design on the thermal experience of pedestrians moving through a certain urban area. Thermal walks are often used by scientists to understand how residents experience heat in urban environments. However, thermal walks can also be beneficial to urban professionals working at local governments that need to adapt urban areas to rising temperatures. Thermal walks can answer their questions such as: How hot is a shopping street, a residential area, a specific walking route through the city or a station area? Which adjustments are needed to create cool spaces? Which factors determine whether the outdoor space is hot or cool and which of these factors can be included in a heat-resilient design? A thermal walk reveals and lets participants experience which urban designs are hottest, coolest or most pleasant, and which factors play a role. Therefore, thermal walks can help urban professionals by:
• Mapping the heat resilience of a specific area and understanding which adjustments can help to create cooler areas; and
• Teaching them the phenomenon of urban heat and the factors that lead to a heat resilient design.
On the 18th of June 2019, during the ‘We make the city’ festival, we used the thermal walk to investigate the heat resilience of the walking route on a former historic naval base in the city of Amsterdam, the Marineterrein. In addition, the thermal walk was accompanied by mini-lectures in order to teach the participants about the phenomenon of urban heat.