Coping with the impacts of urban heat islands. A literature based study on understanding urban heat vulnerability and the need for resilience in cities in a global climate change context

Filho, Walter Leal; Icaza, Leyre Echevarría; Neht, Alice Dorothea-Franziska; Kļaviņš, Māris; Morgan, Edward A.

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.086

Cited by 145 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Exposure describes to what extent humans, natural assets, or material goods are located in places endangered by climatic changes and their consequences [41]. Some approaches use the exposed population or area as a variable for the risk analysis [42][43][44].…”

Section: Variables For Extreme Heat Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Urban Risk to Extreme Heat in China

Huang

Guo

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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Many cities are experiencing persistent risk in China due to frequent extreme weather events. Some extreme weather events, such as extreme heat hazard, have seriously threatened human health and socio-economic development in cities. There is an urgent need to measure the degree of extreme heat risk and identify cites with the highest levels of extreme heat risk. In this study, we presented a risk assessment framework of extreme heat and considered risk as a combination of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Based on these three dimensions, we selected relevant variables from historical meteorological data (1960–2016) and socioeconomic statistics in 2016, establishing an indicator system of extreme heat risk evaluation. Finally, we developed an extreme heat risk index to quantify the levels of extreme heat risk of 296 prefecture-level cities in China and revealed the spatial pattern of extreme heat risk in China in 2016 and their dominant factors. The results show that (1) cities with high levels of extreme heat hazard are mainly located in the south of China, especially in the southeast of China; (2) the spatial distribution of the extreme heat risk index shows obvious agglomeration characteristics; (3) the spatial distribution of the extreme heat risk is still mostly controlled by natural geographical conditions such as climate and topography; (4) among the four types of hazard-dominated, exposure-dominated, vulnerability-dominated, and low risk cities, the number of vulnerability-dominated cities is the largest. The results of this study can provide support for the risk management of extreme heat disasters and the formation of targeted countermeasures in China.

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Section: Variables For Extreme Heat Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Urban Risk to Extreme Heat in China

Huang

Guo

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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“…CiteSpace was used to analyze 900 retrieved papers in the "web of science" from 2008 to 2018. We found that only a few research papers adopted methods and processes with control over the sample size, conceptual model, operation mechanism, synchronicity, spatial typicality, weather situation, surface features, and equipment parameters [12,13]. The research content concentrated on the phenomena of UHI (UHI intensity, surface temperature, and atmospheric temperature), their causes (urbanization, land use, and greenbelt), and their influence on the climatic environment.…”

Section: State Of the Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of the Mega-Urban Heat Island on Spatial Transfer of Summer Thermal Comfort: Evidence from Tianjin, China

Huang

Yun

et al. 2019

Teh. vjesn.

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Human thermal comfort in urban spaces deteriorates as rapid urbanization proceeds. However, effective tests and discoveries of spatial statistic patterns are currently absent. This study collected remote sensing images and measured meteorological data of the summers of 1992-2017, Tianjin of China and aims to clarify patterns of spatial transfer and thermal comfort changes caused by a mega-UHI (Urban Heat Island). An analytic transfer matrix and the spatial autocorrelation were developed to study spatial pattern changes and features of the spatial transfer of thermal comfort caused by UHI. Results show these patterns in the affected areas can be divided into different levels: patterns of low-level affected areas transferred by circular expansion into block-mass jumping, while the position of high-level affected areas remains stable. The spatial transfer of thermal comfort in the affected areas shows two apparent stages: the transfer from areas of high-density and low-storied buildings and into areas of multiple storied buildings, and transfer from areas of low and multiple storied buildings into those of high storied buildings. This implies changes in urban planning can guide spatial, structural, and functional evolution. The study identifies features of spatial change and spatial patterns related to the influence of Mega-UHI on thermal comfort.

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“…The increase in temperature has enormous negative consequences for the urban population and lowers their quality of life as air and water quality decrease, as well as the thermal comfort. A particular risk comes from the increasing and prolonged heatwaves that lead to a higher number of fatalities [2]. The projected increase in the average annual temperatures suggests an intensification in the UHI effect [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mutual Influences of Urban Microclimate and Urban Trees: An Investigation of Phenology and Cooling Capacity

Stanley

Helletsgruber

Hof

2019

Forests

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This paper presents an empirical study on urban tree growth and regulating ecosystem services along an urban heat island (UHI) intensity gradient. The UHI effect on the length of the growing season and the association of cooling and shading with species, age, and size of trees was studied in Salzburg, Austria. Results show that areas with a low UHI intensity differed from areas with a medium or high UHI intensity significantly in three points: their bud break began later, the leaf discoloration took longer, and the growing season was shorter. After leaves have developed, trees cool the surface throughout the whole growing season by casting shadows. On average, the surfaces in the crown shade were 12.2 • C cooler than those in the sun. The tree characteristics had different effects on the cooling performance. In addition to tree height and trunk circumference, age was especially closely related to surface cooling. If a tree's cooling capacity is to be estimated, tree age is the most suitable measure, also with respect to its assessment effort. Practitioners are advised to consider the different UHI intensities when maintaining or enhancing public greenery. The cooling capacity of tall, old trees is needed especially in areas with a high UHI intensity. In the future, species differences should be examined to determine the best adapted species for the different UHI intensities. The present results can be the basis for modeling future mutual influences of microclimate and urban trees. of heat and thus evaporate the water they store. Through evapotranspiration, the plants not only cool themselves but also the air temperature in the immediate vicinity [4]. Furthermore, urban trees provide indirect temperature cooling by shading the surface. The crown blocks the solar radiation and the surface heats up less. Therefore, due to less radiation, the air temperature under the crown heats up much less as well [5].The extent of the cooling effects depends on various environmental factors and plant characteristics [4]. Many studies deal with the positive benefits of large green spaces, such as city parks, whereas urban trees are rarely in focus. Yet even individual trees show a cooling effect [6]. One study identified correlations between air temperature cooling and leaf color, foliage density, leaf thickness, and structure of the leaves [7]. Another study about surface cooling showed that with an increasing leaf area index (LAI), the asphalt temperature decreases, with this effect being independent of tree species; however, there was no corresponding effect on a grassy surface [8]. Mao et al. studied two streets, one lined with deciduous trees and the other lined with coniferous trees [9]; due to a higher evapotranspiration capacity of the deciduous trees, the temperatures on this street were lower. Differences in cooling performance occur even between different tree species. These differences are related to the trees' characteristics, such as height or crown shape [6]. Gillner and colleagues [10] compared six species of trees...

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Coping with the impacts of urban heat islands. A literature based study on understanding urban heat vulnerability and the need for resilience in cities in a global climate change context

Cited by 145 publications

References 61 publications

Assessing Urban Risk to Extreme Heat in China

Assessing Urban Risk to Extreme Heat in China

Influence of the Mega-Urban Heat Island on Spatial Transfer of Summer Thermal Comfort: Evidence from Tianjin, China

Mutual Influences of Urban Microclimate and Urban Trees: An Investigation of Phenology and Cooling Capacity

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