From Thermal Comfort to Adaptive Use: A User-Centered Climate Adaptation Assessment Tool for Public Open Spaces

As climate change intensifies, particularly through extreme weather events, assessing the continued usability of public open spaces (POSs) has become a crucial issue. Existing POS assessment tools primarily focus on thermal conditions and give relatively limited attention to activity opportunities or sociocultural attributes. Moreover, many tools rely on specialized techniques and long-term monitoring, which constrains their practical application. In this study, existing assessment tools were first reviewed to identify gaps. Then, based on scientific evidence and practical considerations, a hierarchical assessment framework consisting of usability, adaptability, and long-term resilience was developed. Finally, the tool’s robustness and applicability were tested through a multi-stakeholder case study conducted during an extreme heat period in Bologna, Italy. Descriptive statistics, Kendall’s W, Friedman tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and permutation ANOVA were used to assess inter-assessor concordance, differences among POSs, and associations with assessor characteristics. The results showed statistically significant inter-assessor concordance and significant differences after multiple-comparison adjustment. The study contributes a practical, user-centered approach that broadens POS assessment beyond thermal conditions to adaptive use and enabling participation by assessors with diverse backgrounds. The proposed tool balances scientific rigor and practical applicability and provides new insights for planning and managing the urban neighborhood under climate stress.