Influence of Urban Scale and Urban Expansion on the Urban Heat Island Effect in Metropolitan Areas: Case Study of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration

Abstract

Global large-scale urbanization has a deep impact on climate change and has brought great challenges to sustainable development, especially in urban agglomerations. At present, there is still a lack of research on the quantitative assessment of the relationship between urban scale and urban expansion and the degree of the urban heat island (UHI) effect, as well as a discussion on mitigation and adaptation of the UHI effect from the perspective of planning. This paper analyzes the regional urbanization process, average surface temperature variation characteristics, surface urban heat island (SUHI), which reflects the intensity of UHI, and the relationship between urban expansion, urban scale, and the UHI in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration using multi-source analysis of data from 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015. The results show that the UHI effect in the study area was significant. The average surface temperature of central areas was the highest, and decreased from central areas to suburbs in the order of central areas > expanding areas > rural residential areas. From the perspective of spatial distribution, in Beijing, the southern part of the study area, the junction of Tianjin, Langfang, and Cangzhou are areas with intense SUHI. The scale and pace of expansion of urban land in Beijing were more than in other cities, the influencing range of SUHI in Beijing increased obviously, and the SUHI of central areas was most intense. The results indicate that due to the larger urban scale of the BTH urban agglomeration, it will face a greater UHI effect. The UHI effect was also more significant in areas of dense distribution in cities within the urban agglomeration. Based on results and existing research, planning suggestions are proposed for central areas with regard to expanding urban areas and suburbs to alleviate the urban heat island effect and improve the resilience of cities to climate change.

Nature-Based Solutions for Co-mitigation of Air Pollution and Urban Heat in Indian Cities

“…Vegetation cover has a larger effect in controlling temperature especially in urban areas as reported in various studies (Chen et al, 2020). Improving the vegetation cover/greenery is suggested as a way to mitigate UHI and air pollution as well as improving thermal comfort in urban areas.…”

Study on the coupling relationship between urban resilience and urbanization quality—A case study of 14 cities of Liaoning Province in China

“…These comprehensive systems are the main driving force of industrial economy; they represent the transformation of urban functions into important manifestations, and their culmination is sustainable development. They are also an important part of China's new-type urbanization, and have had an impact on urban climate, land use, and element flow [2][3][4][5].…”

Assessment of Urban Land Surface Temperature and Vertical City Associated with Dengue Incidences

“…[19]. Urban expansion is affected by physical factors, socioeconomic factors, neighborhood factors, and land-use policy and urban planning factors, and the effects of these factors change along with place and the process of development [23,24]. Due to increased impervious surfaces, decreased albedo, and increased heat conduction and heat capacity, urban areas have higher heat storage in the daytime, resulting in the urban heat island (UHI) effect, which aggravates urban air pollution and affects human health.…”

“…Due to increased impervious surfaces, decreased albedo, and increased heat conduction and heat capacity, urban areas have higher heat storage in the daytime, resulting in the urban heat island (UHI) effect, which aggravates urban air pollution and affects human health. Cities are not only an important factor leading to climate change, but they are also affected by climate change [23,25,26]. There are two types of UHI.…”

“…[17]. At present, there is still a lack of research on the quantitative assessment of the relationship between urban scale and urban expansion and the degree of the urban heat island (UHI) effect, as well as a discussion on mitigation and adaptation of the UHI effect from the perspective of planning [23]. UHIs are expected to further exacerbate the incidence of dengue transmission.…”