Effect of seasonal changes on usage patterns and behaviours in educational precinct in Melbourne

Successful urban open spaces can largely contribute to the enhancement of humans’ day to day life. Among the determinants of the quality of outdoor environments, high priority is given to ambient climatic conditions. This study is aimed to understand the usage pattern of outdoor spaces in an educational precinct and to discover its linkage to thermal conditions. The target population was the visitors of the main open spaces of an educational precinct selected as the case study in Melbourne, Australia. Three types of data collection methods including questionnaire survey, unobtrusive observation and field measurements were employed to collect information about usage patterns and behaviour in the three consecutive seasons (spring 2014, summer 2015 and autumn 2015). The results shed light on the seasonal usage pattern of the precincts and the role of function of place (place character) on people's presence outdoors. The research findings are expected to inform guidelines on managing outdoor spaces, particularly within university campuses.