Analyzing the Influence of Urban Forms on Surface Urban Heat Islands in Europe

AbstractProblem: Remotely sensed land surface temperatures help exploring the surface urban heat island. Measures to mitigate the urban heat island include increasing green urban areas and altering the form of cities. Research is needed to explore the impacts of urban form on the surface urban heat island. Research strategy: Data on land surface temperatures for summer 2001 and land cover are combined with meteorological, demographic, and topographic data for European urban regions, delineated as larger urban zones. To ensure a comprehensive view, three ways of quantifying surface urban heat island are calculated and stratified for morning and evening, and climate zones. Linear models reveal the relative influence of the four factors: (1) composition (e.g., share of different land covers in the urban region), (2) configuration (e.g., spatial arrangement), (3) location (e.g., distance to coast or elevation), and (4) population. Findings: The explanatory power (i.e., adj. R-sq) of the models varies strongly...

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