Spatio-temporal assessment of outdoor thermal comfort dynamics in residential neighbourhoods using the TOPSIS method: A novel approach for arid climates

• TOPSIS offers a cost-effective, robust, and systematic approach to assessing thermal comfort. • Day and night rankings challenge the assumption that UHI effects peak only at night. • Winter UHI intensities exceed those of summer and autumn in the majority of LCZs. • Air temperature variability is more pronounced between LCZs than within individual LCZs. • LCZs with varying building heights exhibit reduced diurnal temperature fluctuations. • The LCZ with an organic configuration outperformed the orthogonal LCZ. Understanding outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) in residential neighbourhoods is vital for climate-responsive urban planning, particularly in arid climates. While OTC has been studied at the urban–rural scale, intra-urban variations across different built forms remain underexplored. Urban areas in hot and arid regions experience significant thermal stress, yet effective methods for identifying thermally vulnerable zones are still lacking. This study uses the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification to analyze air temperature variations in Jaipur, India, across the summer, winter, and autumn seasons. Empirical surveys were conducted over seven consecutive days in each season. The TOPSIS method was then applied to rank LCZs based on their proximity to optimal thermal conditions. This approach facilitated the identification of thermally vulnerable areas and efficient urban configurations. The novelty of this study is the use of the TOPSIS method to systematically and cost-effectively assess thermal comfort for urban climate planning. Results indicate that LCZ 3 2 exhibited the most favorable thermal conditions in summer, whereas LCZ 2 experienced the highest thermal stress. In winter, LCZ 4 1 was the most thermally comfortable during the day, while LCZ 3 2 remained optimal at night. Seasonal comparisons revealed that temperature variations were more pronounced between LCZs than within them, with maximum UHI intensities reaching 11.35 °C in winter, 10.38 °C in summer, and 9.25 °C in autumn. Notably, LCZs with non-uniform building heights exhibited reduced diurnal temperature fluctuations, and LCZ 9, characterized by an organic configuration, outperformed the orthogonal LCZ 6. The study underscores the need for thermal mapping as a strategic tool for urban climate adaptation, providing a novel methodological framework to mitigate thermal stress.