Urban Heat Island Effect Research Papers (original) (raw)

2025, Journal of Environmental Management

Heat-related mortality is one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the United States. With changing climates and an aging population, effective adaptive strategies to address public health and environmental justice issues associated with extreme heat will be increasingly important. One effective adaptive strategy for reducing heat-related mortality is increasing tree cover. Designing such a strategy requires decision-support tools that provide spatial and temporal information about impacts. We apply such a tool to estimate spatially and temporally explicit reductions in temperature and mortality associated with a 10% increase in tree cover in 10 U. S. cities with varying climatic, demographic, and land cover conditions. Two heat metrics were applied to represent tree impacts on moderately and extremely hot days (relative to historical conditions). Increasing tree cover by 10% reduced estimated heat-related mortality in cities significantly, with total impacts generally greatest in the most populated cities. Mortality reductions vary widely across cities, ranging from approximately 50 fewer deaths in Salt Lake City to about 3800 fewer deaths in New York City. This variation is due to differences in demographics, land cover, and local climatic conditions. In terms of per capita estimated impacts, hotter and drier cities experience higher percentage reductions in mortality due to increased tree cover across the season. Phoenix potentially benefits the most from increased tree cover, with an estimated 22% reduction in mortality from baseline levels. In cooler cities such as Minneapolis, trees can reduce mortality significantly on days that are extremely hot relative to historical conditions and therefore help mitigate impacts during heat wave conditions. Recent studies project highest increases in heat-related mortality in the cooler cities, so our findings have important implications for adaptation planning. Our estimated spatial and temporal distributions of mortality reductions for each city provide crucial information needed for promoting environmental justice and equity. More broadly, the methods and model can be applied by both urban planners and the public health community for designing targeted, effective policies to reduce heat-related mortality. Additionally, land use managers can use this information to optimize tree plantings. Public stakeholders can also use these impact estimates for advocacy.

2025, Journal of Ecological Engineering

The formation of urban heat islands is one of the effects related to urbanization, as it directly affects thermal comfort. There are several methodologies for its estimation, we can highlight the Gaussian (the best known), whose limitation focuses on the analysis of Gaussian surfaces. When the surface presents cases of poly-nucleated conglomerates, another type of approach (non-Gaussian) is recommended, such as the Quantile method. Therefore, this work seeks to estimate the intensity of surface urban heat islands (SUHI) in the long term (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016) with both methodologies (Gaussians and Quantiles). Based on satellite data and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) meteorological simulation, both with a special resolution of 5 km, for the metropolitan areas of Belo Horizonte, Manaus and Salvador, located in Brazil. Both methods indicate the formation of intense heat islands in the hottest months in the 3 cities studied, with less monthly variation compared to the surface temperature of the Earth's surface.

2025, Energy and Buildings

 Assessment of the climatic conditions in Rome and its surroundings;  Evaluation of the occurrence of the Urban Heat Island during the whole year;  Test of the weather data differences by means of a well-known dynamic software;  Impacts of UHI on cooling and heating energy demands. Abstract -A wide variety of weather-data are readily available for simulating buildings energy performance by using dynamic software. However, climate change and its effects on buildings energy performance represent a critical issue, also considering the implications of climate change on human comfort. Starting from this, the present study aims at analyzing the climatic conditions in Rome and its surroundings, evaluating the occurrence of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon. Therefore, meteorological data derived from two airports near the city and climatic data registered for two years in a central, densely-built zone of Rome were analyzed and compared. Furthermore, the differences among weather data were tested by means of a well-known and widely used dynamic software in order to evaluate the effects of different climatic boundary conditions on building energy performance, in terms of heating and cooling energy demands. The results highlight significant differences with regard to temperature, wind velocity and relative humidity, as a result of a prevailing UHI phenomenon in central Rome throughout the year. The simulations show an average increase of cooling energy demand of about 30% and an average reduction of heating energy demand of about 11%. Such differences give the rise for the investigation of the reliability of weather-data files commonly used in building simulations, in order to properly estimate the buildings energy demand under a sustainable city perspective.

2025, DYSONA - Applied Science

The precise derivation of spectral indices, including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), plays a crucial role in ensuring reliable environmental assessments through the application of remote sensing methodologies. This research examines the manner in which the transformation of Landsat 8–9 Level 2 digital numbers (DN) into surface reflectance (SR) influences the precision and clarity of NDVI and NDWI measurements in the ecologically significant Sabkhat Al-Jabbul area of Syria. For that purpose, a comprehensive analysis was conducted utilizing Google Earth Engine and ArcGIS Pro, focusing on 307 cloud-filtered Landsat images collected between 2014 and 2024. The analysis employed time series, spatial maps, and statistical comparisons, including t-tests, RMSE, and KDE plots, to evaluate the distinctions between DN- and SR-derived indices. The findings demonstrate that SR conversion markedly improves the value range of the both indices and the identification of land cover types, particularly in heterogeneous areas characterized by seasonal water bodies and irrigated agricultural fields. It is significant that the indices derived from SR-images provide a comprehensive insight into the dynamics of water and the health status of vegetation. This study emphasizes the effectiveness of data derived from Landsat and its significance in the precise monitoring of environmental issues. It particularly underscores the necessity of converting Digital Numbers to Surface Reflectance, with a focus on research conducted in arid and semi-arid regions. Consequently, it is advisable to incorporate the DN to SR conversion process during the pre-processing phase of remote sensing data, thereby enhancing the precision of environmental assessments.

2025, Architecture engineering and science

The high temperature in city centres and urban areas than their surroundings, known as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, which causes discomfort to city dwellers in the summer season, is gaining much attention worldwide as the world continues to urbanize. The Urban Heat Island (UHI) is a phenomenon where urban areas are experiencing high temperature than the surrounding rural areas. The current rapid urbanization in India cause of temperature rises, undeniable climatic changes etc. because of it heat island phenomenon occur which call for a need to address the issue of its consequences and awareness. To counterbalance this, various mitigation strategies has been introduced and new technologies are developed which helps in identifying the hot pockets in a city. Due to the seriousness of the problem, extensive research has been done and a lot of literature study of the subject is available. The literature in this domain provides the most upto-date research methods, concepts, procedures, investigative tools, and mitigation strategies. The aim of this paper is to present state of the art on environmental benefits of UHI mitigation applied at city scale level like benefits of green roof, high albedo material, water body, modification in building envelope and also suggest that future study should concentrate on design and planning characteristics in order to minimize the level of urban heat island and, as a result, live in a better environment.

2025, Remote Sensing

A simple statistical model capturing the degree to which different patterns of urban development intensify urban heat islands (UHIs) and stress human health would be useful but has remained elusive. Accurately predicting street-level urban air temperatures from land cover and thermal data is difficult due to (1) the coarse scale of common remote sensing data, which do not observe the key environments beneath urban tree canopies, and, (2) conversely, the immense labor of intense, location-specific, ground-based survey campaigns. This work tested whether remotely sensed urban heat merged with land cover heterogeneity and shade/sun fractions, if combined at a sufficiently fine scale so as to be linearly additive, would enable simple and accurate statistical modeling of street-scale urban air temperatures with minimal empirical fitting. We used ground-based thermography of a sample of 12 residential streetscapes in Portland, Oregon, to characterize the land surface temperatures (LST g) of eleven common urban surface cover types when sunexposed and in shade. Surfaces were cooler in shade than sun, but with surface-specific differences not explained by greenery nor (im)perviousness. Also, surfaces on streetscapes with more canopy cover, even when sun-exposed at midday, remained significantly cooler than comparable sun-exposed surfaces on streets with less canopy cover, indicating the key significance of partial diurnal shading, not typically accounted for in urban thermal statistical models. We used high-resolution orthoimagery to quantify the area of each surface cover type within each streetscape and computed an area-weighted average surface temperature (T s), accounting for sun/shade heterogeneity. The data revealed a significant, nearly 1:1 relationship between calculated T s values and sun-shielded air temperatures (T a). In contrast, relationships of T a to tree coverage, impervious area, or the LST g of dominant surface cover types were all statistically insignificant. These results suggest that statistical models may more reliably bridge the gap between remote sensing urban surface temperatures and reliable predictions of street-scale air temperatures if (1) analysis is at a sufficiently high resolution (e.g., <10 m) to avoid some of the known scale-dependence of urban thermal environments and enable simple weighted linear models, and (2) distinctions between thermal contributions of sunlit and shaded surfaces are included along with the influence of diurnal shading. Such models may provide effective and low-cost predictions of local UHIs and help inform effective street-level approaches to mitigating urban heat.

2025

The city of Solapur, located in the semi-arid region of southeastern Maharashtra, is increasingly affected by the Urban Heat Island effect. This phenomenon results in urban areas experiencing significantly higher temperatures compared to... more

2025

2025, City and Environment Interactions

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2025, Dewi Anjani Pawitra Suci

Peralihan penggunaan lahan pada Kabupaten Semarang yang sangat berkembang menyebabkan terjadinya pengurangan jumlah lahan vegetasi yang mengakibatkan permasalahan. Oleh karena itu, perlu adanya penelitian terkait persebaran vegetasi menggunakan Citra Landsat 8 OLI Level 2. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat perubahan kerapatan vegetasi dengan membandingkan hasil indeks vegetasi pada tahun 2014 dan 2024 menggunakan metode NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index). Pada intinya, NDVI mengukur seberapa banyak radiasi matahari yang diserap oleh tanaman, khususnya pada bagian daunnya. Sebaran vegetasi di Kabupaten Semarang pada tahun 2014 yaitu-0,08-0,35 dengan klasifikasi kehijauan tinggi sampai lahan tidak bervegetasi. Sedangkan pada tahun 2024 sebaran vegetasinya dari rentang-0,11-0,35 dengan klasifikasi yang sama. Terjadi penurunan vegetasi selama 10 tahun sebanyak 4-8% khususnya pada lahan vegetasi menjadi lahan permukiman/lahan lainnya. Sehingga hal ini menjadi masalah, adanya penelitian ini dapat menunjang perencanaan di Kabupaten Semarang.

2025, International journal of engineering and technology

The aim of this study is to investigate how the air temperature is affected by the urban design and how it can be modified to improve the thermal comfort in the city of Rome. The physical and geometrical properties of the buildings and the presence of green areas have a large impact on the urban climate and on thermal conditions of the people who use open spaces; it is obvious how the role of a urban planner is important to reduce the thermal stress and to design comfortable outdoor spaces for humans. In this study, several numerical simulations using ENVI-met have been performed to evaluate the impact of urban morphology on the microclimate within a city center in summer. Although some very hot conditions were recorded, there were evident examples of more acceptable comfort conditions and cooling potential for some orientations and degrees of urban compactness due to the clustered form with green cool islands and wind flow through the main canyons. Some design guidance on how to form urban passive cooling systems is presented.

2025

At the banks of river Niger particularly bordering the confluence of the river Niger and Benue lies the city of Lokoja. The population increase over the years had led to the increase rate of expansion of built-up areas which consequently led to the increase emission and trapping of carbon dioxide and subsequently increase in temperature. Records have shown over the years in the study area of the gradual change in micro climate which could be directly related to the rate of increase in the size of built up area. The point for temperature measurement is taken at buffered points of every 200 meters, at the core area of the city and similarly at the fringe area. A continuous fixed site micrometeorological observation is undertaken for about a year. Data for mean annual minimum and maximum temperature, average monthly humidity and rainfall was sourced from the Nigeria meteorological station. A correlation was attempted with use of Pearson correlation coefficient to measure the correlation relationship between the rate of increase in built up and 3 main elements of climate that are directly related to urban growth, the element used where rainfall, humidity and temperature . The result gave 0.531 at a significance of 0.005. This is indicative of a high correlation, which means that as the built up area increases, temperature of the city tends to increase and hence more energy is needed to cool a home. The city core will therefore need more energy to maintain a comfort cool temperature than the fringe area, since the core area indicated a warmer afternoon temperature than the fringes. This result may be contrary to the normal heat oases effect. suggestion is therefore given to curb this anomaly

2025

Linda See1, Jason Ching2, Valery Masson3, Johannes Feddema4, Gerald Mills5, Marina Neophytou6, Michael Foley5, Martin O’Connor5, Grega Milcinski7, Marko Repse7, Christoph Perger1, Martina Duerauer1, Steffen Fritz1 and Benjamin Bechtel8 1 International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, see@iiasa.ac.at 2 Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC, USA, jksching@gmail.com 3 Centre National de Recherches Meterologiques, Meteo France, Toulouse, France, valery.masson@meteo.fr 4 Department of Geography, University of Kansas, Lawrence KS, USA, feddema@ku.edu 5 School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, gerald.mills@ucd.ie 6 School of Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus, neophytou@ucy.ac.cy 7 Sinergise, Ljubljana, Slovenia, grega.milcinski@sinergise.com 8 Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg, Hamburg Germany, benjamin.bechtel@uni-hamburg.de

2025, FUDMA Journal of Humanities, Social Science and Creative Arts

This study examines the environmental impacts of the Katsina-Kano road project on local communities, focusing on areas of noise pollution, air quality, land degradation, and safety concerns. Using a survey questionnaire, interview and FGD, the findings revealed that accidents appeared to be the most significant issue affecting road users and residents in the area, suggesting the need for enhanced safety interventions like improved signage and stricter law enforcement. Noise and air pollution also emerged as notable concerns, though comparatively lower significance. Results were presented using percentage frequency distribution table and charts. Compared mean of each environmental variable was computed where noise pollution has 2.2891, air pollution has 2.2839, accident with 2.1328, destruction of vegetation with 2.3229, destruction of buildings with 2.3281 and land pollution with 2.3620. The paper proposes specific mitigation strategies and policy recommendations to minimize accidents for sustainable road management and enhanced welfare of the community and other road users.

2025, Energy and Buildings

Urban heat mitigation strategies are essential for enhancing microclimates and optimizing energy performance in residential areas. However, quantitative frameworks for renovating these areas are still limited. This study combines ENVI-met and DesignBuilder software to evaluate the effectiveness of vegetation, highly reflective materials, and their combined strategies in typical residential areas across four representative climate zones: The Hague (Cfb), Montreal (Dfb), Wuhan (Cfa), and Singapore (Af). The results reveal significant regional variations in the effectiveness of these strategies. In hot and humid climates, a combined strategy is the most effective, reducing air temperature in Wuhan by 0.68 °C and cooling loads by 54.7 %. Reflective materials, while increasing mean radiant temperature in all climates, reduce ground heat accumulation in milder climates like The Hague, resulting in a 2.94 °C decrease in surface temperature. Vegetation generally provides less ground cooling but outperforms reflective materials in energy savings across all climates. Furthermore, temperate cities experience higher energy consumption under heat mitigation strategies. The effectiveness of these strategies is also influenced by the physical characteristics of residential areas, such as building height and green infrastructure. Therefore, tailoring heat mitigation strategies to local climatic and urban conditions is crucial. This study identifies optimal strategies for various contexts, offering a scientific foundation for precise policy-making to address heat-related challenges. Moreover, the methodology employed in this research provides a fresh perspective, delivering more precise and comprehensive analyses that fill gaps in previous studies lacking direct global multi-environmental comparisons.

2025, Urban Climate

As major hubs of economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions, cities are central to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Recognizing this, urban climate change research has expanded significantly since 1990. This article uses topic modeling to identify major themes addressed in over 133,000 articles focused on the nexus between climate change and cities. It also examines focus areas across different continents. The analysis reveals a global bias, with many studies concentrating on cities in the Global North. There are distinct patterns, with mitigation dominating in the Global North while adaptation studies prevail in the Global South. Approximately half of the urban climate studies examine combined adaptation-mitigation approaches, with water, heat, and energy emerging as key themes across continents. Despite Africa's exposure to extreme heat events, this critical issue remains understudied in urban climate research focused on the continent. The findings underscore the necessity of customized urban climate solutions to effectively address the pressing issues of extreme heat and other climate-induced phenomena, thereby contributing to urban resilience.

2025, Architecture Engineering and Science

Increasing awareness of the urban heat island (UHI) effect has raised attention about the thermal comfort in cities worldwide. Several studies in the last decades have revealed how critical the UHI effect can be in a cold climate, Mediterranean climate. As a result, there is a need of study for composite climate like Delhi to reduce heat islands in urban areas. A lot of research on mitigation strategy has been done, but most of them considered with one or two variables like mostly are green, blue landscape and widely use of remote sensing data, LCZ-LST relationship. To the best of our knowledge no study has been carried out on the Integrated mitigation approach in composite climate. This study evaluates different UHI mitigation strategies in high rise residential area of Delhi selected according to their building density (LCZ Classification). The effects of cool surfaces (on the roofs, on the facade or as vegetation areas) are evaluated through numerical simulations using the software ENVI-met. Having obtained the surface temperature, potential air temperature, mean radiant temperature, and wind speed, this study compares the mitigation strategies for urban heat island effect and make conclusions about the most effective mitigation strategy.

2025, International Journal of Science and Research

This research presents a detailed urban planning framework that utilizes sophisticated GIS tools to drive significant climate action in urban areas. By combining high-resolution maps of land surface temperature with climate forecast data, the methodology effectively pinpoints critical "hot spots" where the urban heat island effect is most severe. Using surface radiation data as an indicator for analyzing urban microclimates, the study prioritizes specific sub-areas for intervention based on both the intensity of heat and anticipated population growth. The approach incorporates evaluations of public spaces at the city block level, achieved through thorough on-site surveys and demographic analysis. This evaluation employs the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) alongside digital parametric 3-D modeling tools. This integrated process generates assessments of current conditions as well as future projections-both in typical scenarios and under best-practice implementation-by taking into account increases in population density and planned infrastructure developments. The resulting design recommendations are rooted in evidencebased urban climate factor diagrams and are informed by comparing models of districts experiencing varying degrees of heat stress. Ultimately, this framework offers urban planners a data-driven and practical guide for reducing urban heat, lowering energy demands, and improving the overall quality of civic life.

2025, Along the Waterfront: Cities in Europe Facing Climate Change

Cities are naturally formed through their linkage with the ground/soil, creating levels of the city according to morphological land features and relational identifications with the ground, revealing urban ground typologies that may become... more

2025

Air quality is a major concern for the quality of life in high-density urban environments. In most dense urban areas of Hong Kong air quality in street level does not depend only on the air pollutant emission rate, but also on dispersion rate. Air pollution dispersion is also a result of the physical built form; Urban Morphology. The study postulates an association between urban morphology and air quality. This paper presents a model to explain this street level air pollution phenomenon; relationship between street level air pollutant concentration and the morphology of hyper dense residential environments in Hong Kong. This study investigated 20 different high-density urban residential areas in five districts of Hong Kong through field measurements and statistical analysis. Real time street level air pollutants, microclimatic data and 21 urban morphological attributes were identified and calculated geometrically for the statistical analysis. The findings revealed that only limited ...

2025, Computers, Environment and Urban Systems

The garden city concept was adopted in the development of a new tropical city, Putrajaya, aimed at mitigating the effect of urban thermal modification associated with urbanisation, such as urban heat island (UHI). WRF/Noah/UCM coupled system was used to estimate the urban environment over the area and the individual thermal contributions of natural land use classes (vegetation and waterbody). A control experiment including all land use types describing the urban conditions of Putrajaya city agreed well with the observations in the region. A series of experiments was then conducted, in which vegetation and waterbody were successively replaced with an urban land use type, providing the basis for an assessment of their respective effect on urban thermal mitigation. Surface energy components, 2-m air temperature (T2m) and mixing ratio (Q2m), relative humidity (RH) and UHI intensity (UHII) showed variations for each land use class. Overall, an increase in urban surfaces caused a corresponding increase in the thermal conditions of the city. Conversely, waterbody and vegetation induced a daily reduction of 0.14 and 0.39 °C of T2m, respectively. RH, UHI and T2m also showed variations with urban fractions. A thermal reduction effect of vegetation is visible during mornings and nights, while that of water is minimally shown during daytime. However, during nights and mornings, canopy layer thermal conditions above waterbody remain relatively high, with a rather undesirable effect on the surrounding microclimate, because of its high heat capacity and thermal inertia.

2025

Urban Heat Island (UHI) is detrimental to urban dwellers and energy users because it contributes to cooling loads, thermal discomfort and air pollution. The main objective of this study is modeling energy balance over the different urban land covers such as Asphalt, Cement, Soil, Stone, Water body and Grass. To do so, three OPUS 200/300 Data Loggers with six PT100 sensors were installed in Geophysic Weather Station in University of Tehran in 10 minutes time interval during the year 2012-2013 to measure surface temperature. Then, a one-dimensional mathematical model was developed based on the fundamental energy balance, to calculate the surfaces temperature and heat flux. Finally, the ability of studied land covers in the absorption, reflection and transmission of energy were discussed; then, estimated temperature was calibrated by observed surface temperature data to determine model's accuracy. Results illustrated that, materials thermo-physical properties are the main effective factor on their thermal behavior and temperature pattern. The result obtained from mathematical modeling demonstrated that asphalt surface has the highest and lowest energy absorption and reflection, respectively. Moreover, the model has sufficient accuracy in estimating of surface temperature, especially for Asphalt, Cement and Soil.

2025, American Journal of Environmental Engineering

This study presents an investigation on the decadal variability of maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) air temperature in southern Brazil during the period 1961-2011. Daily data from 26 meteorological stations, obtained from Brazil's National Meteorology Institute (INMET), were used to calculate annual and decadal means and standard deviations. From the annual statistics we computed linear trends in Tmin, Tmax and daily temperature range (DTR). The decadal means were used to compute changes in Tmax and Tmin. Annual anomalies were obtained by removing the climatology for 1961-2011. Results show that most of the region experienced a statistically significant increase in both Tmin and Tmax, i.e. nights as well as days are becoming hotter. The increase in Tmin is however more pronounced than in Tmax, resulting in a decrease in DTR. Of particular notice were the increases in Tmin over the state of Paraná and in Tmax along the southern Brazilian coast. Trends in standard deviations show asignificant increase in the amplitude of variability of Tmin for most of the region's stations. Overall, there was a cooling period during the 1960s and 70s. From the early 1980s until early 90s we observed a sharp and unprecedented warming in both Tmin and Tmax time series. After 1993 the Tmax and Tmin anomalies are relatively smaller in magnitude and, in the last eight years of the record, temperatures remained near the climatological average. These results suggest a halt in the overallwarming trend over southern Brazil after mid-2003.

2025

As climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of urban heatwaves, elderly populations are becoming increasingly vulnerable to outdoor thermal stress, particularly in dense Mediterranean cities. This study addresses the critical need for micro-scale, climate-responsive design strategies that enhance thermal comfort for aging residents in
historically underserved urban neighborhoods. Focusing on the refugee-built area of Nikea in Greater Athens, this research explores the effectiveness of nature-based solutions (NBS) in mitigating extreme heat through spatial interventions tailored to the needs of older adults. Using ENVI-met 5.6.1, two scenarios were simulated: a baseline scenario reflecting existing urban conditions and an optimal scenario incorporating mature tree planting and water features. The results are analyzed across three key time points—morning, peak afternoon, and evening—to capture diurnal thermal variations. The findings demonstrate that NBS significantly reduce the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET), with peak improvements exceeding 14 ◦C in shaded zones. This study highlights the value of finegrained, nature-based urban interventions in promoting thermal equity and supporting climate adaptation for vulnerable populations.

2025

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Geografia, Florianópolis, 2009.Neste trabalho procurou-se analisar por meio de imagens de satélite e dados de campo, a ocorrência do fenômeno de ilhas de calor na cidade de Joinville. As imagens analisadas correspondem a períodos distintos a fim de demonstrar a ocorrência do fenômeno em diferentes épocas do ano. Apresentou-se uma caracterização climática da área de estudo, considerando-se para tal os sistemas atuantes na região, a época do ano de ocorrência e os tipos de tempo dominantes. As regiões onde constatou-se o ocorrência do fenômeno de ilhas de calor foram interligadas com o mapeamento do uso do solo e com modelo de produção na região, com isso demonstrou-se que a ocorrência do fenômeno está ligada principalmente a atividades de industrias termotécnicas localizadas em Joinville. O levantamento da ocorrência de ilhas de calor visa subsídiar pr...

2025

INTRODUCTION. In the context of global climate change the term urban heat island (UHI) is a phenomenon that has been observed in recent years (Oke 1982). UHI have a negative influence on the water cycle and on human health. Within the same city important differences in temperature can be observed. These differences depend to a high degree on the type of ground surface (e.g. impermeable and permeable surfaces, waterbodies, parks, etc.) (Kustas 2000).

2025

Temperature is one of the main issues in climate change, and the urban heat island effect in highly developed urban areas is an important issue that we need to deal with. This study analyzed the extent of the cooling effects of urban green spaces. The study used a surface temperature map of Seoul. It found that the cooling effects of green space was observed within limited distances, although it varied a little depending on the parks investigated. The cooling effect distance ranged from 240m to 360m, averaging about 300m. It also found the size of an urban green space does not make much difference in cooling the surrounding areas. Although further investigation with diverse urban areas should be conducted on this matter, the results did imply that many small green spaces in the neighborhood are more effective than a single big green space in mitigating the heat island effects of cities.

2025

The interaction between urban heat island (UHI) effects and urban air pollution significantly impacts urban ecology, climate dynamics, and inhabitants' well-being. This study examines into the correlation between UHI effects and various pollutants (CO, HCHO, aerosols, NO 2 , O 3 , and SO 2) across Bangalore from 2019 to 2022, exploring their spatial and thermal connections. The study utilized satellite remote sensing data from TROPOMI for air pollutants (CO, NO₂, HCHO, SO₂, O₃, and aerosols) and MODIS for land surface temperature (LST). Data were collected over a four-year period (2019-2022) to analyze spatial and temporal pollutant distributions and UHI effects in Bangalore and employed statistical methods, including Pearson correlation, independent t-tests, and ANOVA, to assess the relationships between UHI indicators and pollutant concentrations. A weighted Urban Pollution Island (UPI) index was developed using Fuzzy AHP, while thermal categorization was achieved through spatial analysis techniques. Research indicates significantly elevated pollution levels in urban areas compared to rural regions. The research demonstrates positive correlation between UHI indicators and CO, HCHO, aerosols, NO 2 , and O 3 in urban-rural environments. A negative correlation is observed between the UHI indicator and SO 2 in these contexts, requiring a thorough investigation of the UHI-pollutant relationship. High-risk zones (HRZs) demonstrate significantly elevated yearly average concentrations of NO 2 (66.614%), aerosols (13.610%), HCHO (8.816%), and CO (2.028%) relative to low-risk zones (LRZs). Ozone levels are consistently similar between HRZs and LRZs. In contrast, LRZs demonstrate a greater yearly average concentration of SO 2 (7.562%) than HRZs. Furthermore, HRZs exhibit an elevated LST of 2.198 • C relative to LRZs. These results yield essential insights for urban planning and policy development, providing a thorough comprehension of UHI pollution dynamics. This research clarifies these dynamics, aiding informed decision-making to mitigate the effects of UHI and pollution in urban settings.

2025, Pune International Centre Publications

. Urban development in India. Retrieved from

2025, Energy and Buildings

2025, Civil Engineering and Architecture

Local materials for construction are becoming more popular due to their natural, exotic, and beautiful qualities, which can help the community's economy. Roof materials that mimic organic materials derived from unsustainable synthetic plastics could contribute to environmental pollution. Coconut leaves (Cocos nucifera), found across Indonesia, can be utilised as roofing. This study investigates materials' conductivity, effective thickness, and design and production methods to maximise their economic worth and usefulness. An evaluation was performed to assess the heating capacity of coconut leaf roofing materials relative to unpainted zinc roofs and heat-resistant painted zinc roofs. Evidence indicates that coconut leaf organic roofs effectively lower temperatures on roofs, in attics, and within indoor spaces. Three models of test houses show that coconut leaf roofs reduce heat on the roof surface by 19.6% and 7.3% and in attics by 5.9% and 2%, respectively, compared to unpainted zinc roofs and heatproof painted zinc roofs. Determining the primary influence on indoor air temperature-whether it is solely the surface temperature of the roof or the temperature within the attic-presents a complex challenge that resists straightforward conclusions. The use of coconut leaves as a roofing material offers a promising sustainable architectural strategy to address problems related to global warming. Further research can be directed to improve the durability of the material.

2025, Town and Country Planning

The rapid pace of urbanization has significantly altered land use/land cover (LULC) patterns, replacing natural landscapes with impervious surfaces, thereby intensifying the urban heat island (UHI) effect. This study evaluates the effectiveness of nature-based solutions (NBS) in mitigating UHI intensity in Qaem Shahr, Iran, by integrating remote sensing data and the InVEST-Urban Cooling Model (UCM). LULC maps for 2003, 2013, and 2023 were derived from Landsat imagery, while projections for 2033 were modeled under business-as-usual (BAU) and NBS scenarios using the CA-Markov model. The UCM was employed to analyze spatial changes in the Heat Mitigation Index (HMI), considering the biophysical attributes of urban green and blue spaces, such as shade, evapotranspiration, and albedo. Results revealed significant decreases in tree cover (15.2 km²) and water bodies (3.8 km²) from 2003 to 2013, alongside expansions in agricultural land (55.5 km²) and human settlements (26.3 km²). By 2023, only 67% of the region maintained a high cooling capacity (CC > 0.9), compared to 91% in 2003. Future projections indicate a 23% reduction in cooling capacity under BAU, even with NBS implementation. Tree cover demonstrated the highest cooling potential, reducing UHI intensity by 3.32°C on average, followed by grasslands at 3.21°C. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of implementing NBS strategies, such as the expansion of urban vegetation, the use of green roofs and walls, in mitigating the effects of urban heat islands and achieving sustainable urban development.

2025, Pollution

Today, the per capita green space in Shiraz metropolis is decreasing due to the increasing physical expansion and frequent land use change. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of urban green infrastructure on the reduction of the heat island phenomsenon of Shiraz metropolis through the processing of Landsat 8 satellite images by Fragstats and Arc Gis 10.3 software, which are compiled through the two processes of landscape metrics and the preparation of LST maps. Is. Based on the findings of land surface metrics, human land use at the land surface level of each region shows that districts 11, 4 and 5 of Shiraz city have the highest percentage of human-made land use. On the other hand, the 10th and 3rd regions have the least man-made land use. The results show that in areas 3, 6 and 11 of Shiraz city, there is high temperature resulting from human activities, which indicates the existence of thermal islands. The highest temperature is related to the area of Bagh Delgosha to the side of the coastal pass. The 11th and 9th district of Shiraz city has the best environmentally friendly form with a design method more compatible with the environment in the south-eastern direction, and the difference between the highest and the lowest temperature does not reach 20 degrees Celsius. Therefore, the existence of urban green spaces play an effective role in reducing heat islands.

2025

Geospatial technology involves the use of maps, satellite imagery, and spatial databases to collect, analyze, and visualize geographic data. Understanding the link between blockchain and geospatial technology is crucial as it opens the door to innovation and progress in both fields. "The use of Blockchain as a system for managing and verifying geospatial data necessitates accuracy, integrity, and trustworthiness"(Pengxiang et al 2022). Improving data integrity, promoting collaboration, and revolutionizing applications in the geospatial domain are all possible through the combination of these two technologies. The World Wide Web (WWW) has expanded connections worldwide, but it also makes networks susceptible to multiple attacks from various anonymous sources. Packets of fixed or variable sizes are used for transmitting data across nodes. Data is encrypted using secure algorithms at the application level, then packetized and sent at lower levels in the OSI architecture. The encrypted data can be obtained by an intruder by organizing the data contents of each packet once they have access to all the packets. Intruders may also attempt to break the secured algorithm used by the sender. This sophisticated approach to Data Security is the content and order of data, ensuring that unauthorized individuals are unable to discern sensitive information during data transmission. The primary objective of this paper is to introduce a novel spatial encryption technique designed to enhance the security of data transfers within networks. This paper, founded on a comprehensive literature review, endeavors to propose a research project focused on exploring futuristic solutions, particularly within the post-quantum era.

2025

Today rapid urbanization is a major challenge for many cities. In 2007 urban population started to exceed the rural population. Increasingly, scholars and governments discuss the effects of this trend on future development of cities. It is obvious that any kind of urban development should be controlled and regulated, otherwise the outcome could lead to a chaotic and unsustainable development. Besides, it may result in environmental problems like air pollution, heat islands, urban climate and etc. Unfortunately, this kind of physical modification practically have not been considered by the planners and designers. The current study is grounded on recent literature review and tries to concentrate on this problem mainly from the development and construction performance perspective. Moreover, the current study attempts to classify the effective variables under the urban form, urban geometry, and urban population.

2025, Emmanuel Onye-Amah

This paper investigates how LEED-certified buildings address Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects through three vital strategies involving green roofs and high-albedo materials with urban vegetation implementations. LEED principles support the use of green roofs that offer insulation benefits and enable rooftop temperature decreases of up to 30°C and lead to urban environmental energy savings and improved biodiversity. The use of high-albedo materials that reflect sunlight efficiently leads to reduced heat absorption and produces both temperature reductions in surrounding areas and better pedestrian comfort. Urban vegetation also counters indoor heating by releasing water vapor into the environment. The combination of these approaches creates a solution for managing UHI effects and leads to better energy efficiency and air quality and stronger urban sustainability. Through case studies from cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and some UK Midwestern cities, the paper illustrates how these strategies can be adapted to specific climatic, urban, and regulatory contexts.

2025

A shallow Periphyton Culture on the Roof of a Large Flat roofed building has significant advantages over the DOE Cool roof in Semi Tropical and Tropical climates with fresh surface water, like Florida USA. Advantages include Carbon Foot Print reduction, Air Conditioning energy reduction of 20-40%, restoring wetland filtration (nutrient removal) from wetlands lost to pre regulation development, reduction of Urban Heat Island Effect. Architects and builders have been slow to adopt.

2025

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) poses one of the most significant climate-change challenges of the twenty first century, with the expansion of urbanization and industrialization processes. Its primary causes root from the broad topic of urban form and include elements like the substantial heat absorbed and re-emitted by urban structures, anthropogenic heat sources and de-vegetation in densely populated areas. These factors collectively raise the temperature of the urban areas compared to their surroundings, thus, dubbing the phenomena an urban heat island. This report will explore the characteristics of urban form and how they are linked to UHI. Furthermore, the indicators for UHI will be covered, investigating different analytical methods. Finally, various European cities tackling UHI will be studied to give a comprehensive view.

2025, PAYSAGE TOPSCAPE

In Olot, a town in northeastern Spain, BACH, Bayona and Colomer sign an exemplary project that, starting from the orographic condition of the place, manages to “weave” new spatial patterns, “stitch” together the different parts of the urban center and “clothe” the public space, defining functions, practices and movements flexibly. At the same time, the adopted strategy defines new urban and social ecologies, paying great attention to the effects of climate change.

2025

2025, Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy

This article addresses the intricate relationship between urban heat islands and climate vulnerability, focusing on the city of Viña del Mar in Chile and emphasizing the need for comprehensive communal or local policies to prevent, adapt to, and mitigate the adverse effects of these phenomena. By analyzing the measures contained in existing national climate adaptation plans for the health and urban sectors, as well as the proposed municipal adaptation and resilience plan, the study identifies gaps and opportunities for improving regulatory frameworks and urban planning strategies. The results are divided into sub-themes. The first one refers to the Health Sector Adaptation Plan for Climate Change; the second deals with the Cities Adaptation Plan for Climate Change; and the third deals with the Cli- mate Adaptation and Resilience Plan for Viña del Mar and Valparaíso. Finally, the research underscores the importance of integrating nature-based solutions, such as green infrastructure, that include quantifiable methods of analysis, combating the heat island phenomenon and stimulating urban development linked to climate change. It also highlights the critical intersection of the right to the city, health, and adequate housing in the context of climate vulnerability, emphasizing the urgency of tailored measures for vulnerable populations and climate justice.

2025, SAGE Open

The focus of our study is Manhattan Community District 9 (CD9) in West Harlem. The New York City (NYC) Department of City Planning reports that CD9 communities of Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, and Hamilton Heights contain a large percent of at-risk groups: 17.4% of the population below 18 years of age, 10.8% of the population 65 years or older, over two thirds of the population African American or Hispanic. Thirty-seven percent of the population are beneficiaries of needs-tested income support programs. These communities are also characterized as high density (NYC Department of City Planning, 2013a). Current scholarship links poverty and high-density living to a range of negative health outcomes associated with environmental stressors. Based on the work of Li, Horton, and Kinney (2013), we define "urban livability" as a function of air quality and ambient street-level temperatures. Livability declines in high-density urban areas as ambient temperatures increase. Public health scholarship confirms that heat is a concern in urban areas; high ambient air temperature has been 546480S GOXXX10.

2025, Journal of Climate City Policy and Economy

This article addresses the intricate relationship between urban heat islands and climate vulnerability, focusing on the city of Viña del Mar in Chile and emphasizing the need for comprehensive communal or local policies to prevent, adapt to, and mitigate the adverse effects of these phenomena. By analyzing the measures contained in existing national climate adaptation plans for the health and urban sectors, as well as the proposed municipal adaptation and resilience plan, the study identifies gaps and opportunities for improving regulatory frameworks and urban planning strategies. The results are divided into sub-themes. The first one refers to the Health Sector Adaptation Plan for Climate Change; the second deals with the Cities Adaptation Plan for Climate Change; and the third deals with the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan for Viña del Mar and Valparaíso. Finally, the research underscores the importance of integrating nature-based solutions, such as green infrastructure, that include quantifiable methods of analysis, combating the heat island phenomenon and stimulating urban development linked to climate change. It also highlights the critical intersection of the right to the city, health, and

2025, WABER SuDBE Conference 2024

This bibliometric study determined the influence of documents, authors, countries, affiliation,
and keywords from article publications on the use of virtual reality (VR) in, construction
education and sustainability published by digital object identifier equipped journals listed in
Dimensions database. The analysis focused on comparatively describing the characteristics and
trends of the documents, authors, countries, affiliation, and keywords. The data analyzed were
from 770 research publications in Dimensions from 2012 to 2024 and the searches used to
establish the dataset were last updated on March 27, 2024. Descriptive statistical methods were
used and a bibliometric analysis was conducted using Biblioshiny, an R-based app, to generate
bibliometric maps. Li X. was the most influential author with 637 citations, published in the
Automation in Construction Journal in 2018. Learning was the most influential keyword in the
publications. China was the country with the most publications. Until now, no bibliometric
research has investigated the influence of articles on VR education usage after the Covid-19
pandemic. This study provides evidence of practical adoptions of VR in construction, design,
cost and culture revealing applications of VR technology in education and reducing
technological bias.

2025, Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences

During the past few decades, we have witnessed the phenomenon of constant warming occurring everywhere on the globe. Cities have suffered from urban warming to a greater extent than any other part of the world, and Kolkata has one of the highest levels of urban warming of any city around the world. In Kolkata, 73% of the buildings are residential, and it is this type of building that contributes to a significant amount of this warming. With the city of Kolkata as the case study, this paper aims at understanding the multiple domains of urban heat islands and thermal comfort within the context of the city, from a macro perspective of an urban heat island down to a micro perspective of a building level, with the ultimate aim of mitigating global warming through this study. Various research works have been undertaken in India and abroad to understand the individual as well as composite effect of various building components on the indoor thermal comfort. Researches have also been undertaken to compare and comprehend the differential thermal comfort of old indigenous residences with that of the new residential buildings. Hence, this paper discusses methods that have been applied in past works to evaluate the thermal comfort of old and new residential buildings in a non-subjective manner, without having recourse to user feedback, in the final segment that views the process of learning from comparing old and new residential buildings.