Microclimatic perception and preference among market vendors in Jakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for liveable, sustainable cities and decent jobs. The lack of attention to outdoor space design has a significant impact on the livability of the urban outdoor environment. As tropical areas have experienced a one-degree Celsius increase in the last four decades, working outdoors can become unbearably distressing due to thermal discomfort. This study links SDGs 11 and 8 by focusing on thermal comfort and heat exposure among outdoor informal workers —the street vendors working in outdoor markets. The cohorts in our study are vulnerable to extreme heat due to their working conditions, and the informality of their work presents additional susceptibility to severe heat exposure due to the lack of physical and social protection. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to measure microclimatic perceptions, such as Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) and preference, Humidity Sensation Vote (HSV) and preference, Wind Sensation Vote (WSV) and preference, Sun Sensation Vote (SSV), and preference, as well as overall comfort vote (OCV). The results are useful in providing a preliminary illustration of Jakarta’s microclimatic perceptions and thermal comfort from the perspective of vulnerable populations. We then discuss the impacts of thermal comfort on the city’s liveability.