A significant increase in urbanisation plays a substantial role in driving economic growth and fostering the development of regions and nations. Many metro plus cities experience haphazard urban development often bypassing planning regulations. The cities have been undergoing tremendous economic, cultural, spatial transformations. Their thermal characteristics are changing at an unprecedented pace in the context of the regional climatic variations. Thus, a combined effect of this leads to a persistent increase in land surface temperature, adverse impacts on human health, and ecological challenges in urban areas. Such conditions have a detrimental impact on outdoor thermal comfort, thereby adversely affecting the health and overall well-being of city dwellers. The main objectives of the present study are: (i) to study and analyze trends and patterns of urban population and changing demographic characteristics; (ii) to assess the outdoor thermal comfort in three rapidly expanding select metropolitan cities of India; (iii) to identify the factors and processes contributing to the changing urban environments and emerging concerns in sustainable urban development. The study is based on secondary sources of data of Census of India, Statistical Abstracts, Statistical Diary, Satellite Images, and use of GIS softwares in analysis and presentation. Study contributes towards identification of areas within urban environments where thermal discomfort poses a risk to human health. It suggests mitigation strategies for enhancing outdoor thermal comfort and the effective role of sustainable urban development and planning measures.
 

Environment, human health, metropolitan cities, outdoor thermal comfort, urbanization