Citizen science dataset on residents' urban heat perception in outdoor public spaces of climate-vulnerable neighborhoods

Abstract

We present a dataset generated to investigate urban heat and thermal perception across five neighborhoods in the Barcelona metropolitan area. In collaboration with 14 non-academic partner organizations, we conducted a series of citizen science campaigns involving 439 residents as co-researchers engaged throughout all stages of the research process. Participants, residents of areas classified as highly or very highly climate-vulnerable, identified 210 public outdoor sites relevant to their daily lives. These locations were subsequently characterized using a range of spatial and environmental indicators pertinent to urban heat island effects, urban health, and climate resilience. Over the course of 48 thermal walks, participants carried portable, low-cost sensors that continuously recorded air temperature, relative humidity, and geolocation, resulting in 296,286 processed microclimatic data points. At pre-defined sites, individuals completed standardized surveys to report their Thermal Sensation Votes and Thermal Comfort Votes, yielding 5,169 self-reported entries. Sociodemographic data were also collected to further contextualize participants' responses. The resulting dataset integrates objective environmental measurements with subjective perceptions of heat, enabling point-by-point analysis of thermal experience within the urban fabric. It offers a novel, multi-dimensional resource to support research on heat, thermal inequality, and the experiential dimensions of climate vulnerability, and is intended to inform evidence-based decision-making in urban planning, public health, and climate adaptation.