By optimizing the design of the building envelope, it is possible to create a more comfortable and energy-efficient indoor environment for the occupants. However, due to environmental issues in high-density cities, open balconies might affect the health of occupants. The current research focuses on the effect of a single balcony form in different climates, which could be detrimental to the diversity of balcony designs. Therefore, it is necessary to re-examine the rationality of traditional Japanese open balconies in terms of building envelope design and living environment to optimize the indoor thermal environment and reduce the energy consumption of dwellings. Focusing on Kitakyushu, Japan, which is in a warm climate, this paper conducts a comprehensive comparative study of the effects of building envelope design for residential buildings, including balcony form, thermal insulation performance, room orientation, and the window-to-wall ratio of balcony facades. The results of the study indicate that 1) the closed balcony design is strongly applicable to houses in warm climate regions in winter; 2) closed balconies facing south have a more positive impact on the indoor thermal environment, and energy-saving performance than open balconies; 3) even closed balconies without insulation could achieve higher thermal environment gains than open balconies with insulation. Designing a special type of closed balcony for residences in winter is more energy-efficient than insulation. This study proposes architectural envelope designs that are adapted to specific environmental and climatic conditions. It contributes to providing residential designers with a measure of how to provide a comfortable residential thermal environment and energy efficiency for occupants through architectural envelope design.

Due to psychological and physical differences, children are more vulnerable to the influence of the surrounding environment than adults. A nursery school in Japan was selected as the research object. The actual thermal environment of children aged 1 to 5 in the classroom was evaluated based on measured data in winter and summer. Through a questionnaire survey of nursery teachers, this paper analyzed and compared the relationship between teachers’ thermal adaptation behavior and children’s thermal sensation. Compared with the traditional fixed-points measurement method, a method of wearable sensors for children was proposed to measure the indoor temperature distribution. The traditional measurement results showed that 73% of classroom indoor temperatures and humidity do not meet the thermal comfort standard stipulated by the government. The method proposed in this paper indicates that: (1) nursery teachers’ thermal adaptation behavior may not be based on children’s thermal sensations; (2) solar radiation and weather context could lead to uneven indoor horizontal temperature distribution, hence, specific attention should be paid to the thermal environment when children move to the window side; and (3) the density of occupants causes the temperature around the human body to be relatively high. We suggest that teachers improve the thermal comfort of gathered children through thermal adaptive behaviors. The results of the study provide valuable information for nursery managers to formulate effective indoor thermal environment strategies from the perspective of children.

City shrinkage, as an ongoing worldwide phenomenon, is an issue for urban planning and regional development. City shrinkage is remarkable in Japan, with over 85% of municipalities experiencing population loss from 2005 to 2015. As Japan’s society ages and with its low fertility rate, city shrinkage has had a tremendous negative effect on economic development and urban planning. Understanding the spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity of city shrinkage and its determinants is essential for ensuring the sustainable development of a city or region. In this study, a semiparametric geographically weighted regression (SGWR) model was adopted to explore the spatiotemporal differences in determinants of city shrinkage. The results reveal that the SGWR model incorporating the global and local variables is more interpretive compared to ordinary least squares and geographically weighted regression models in exploring the correlates of city shrinkage. We found the spatial dependence and heterogeneity of shrinking cities resulted from demographic, economy, and social factors, and revealed low fertility, the ageing population, and enterprise change ratio influenced city shrinkage in different regions at different times in Japan, whereas foreign population ratio, industry structure, and social welfare had global impacts. The findings provide useful information for understanding city shrinkage at global and local scales.