Theoretical dimension of outdoor thermal comfort research

Traditional methods to process comfort data are constantly criticised due to their inability to provide an explanation for thermal satisfaction achievement. Theories, however, seem to present a solution to this growing issue. Therefore, this study aims to review how the efforts made in the existing literature can benefit from theoretical frameworks to understand comfort data. The results showed the usage of theories in outdoor thermal comfort research is very limited. Furthermore, from the three categories identified for classifying these theories (personal, environmental and behavioural) personal based frameworks are most widely used. The results have shed light on our understanding of thermal satisfaction in outdoor spaces. It is expected the findings will contribute to developing thermal comfort standards that are specific to outdoor settings.