A New Urban Functional Zone-Based Climate Zoning System for Urban Temperature Study

Zhaowu Yu,Ranhao Sun,Gaoyuan Yang,Yongcai Jing

doi:10.3390/rs13020251

Abstract

The urban heat island (UHI) effect has been recognized as one of the most significant terrestrial surface climate-related consequences of urbanization. However, the traditional definition of the urban–rural (UR) division and the newly established local climate zone (LCZ) classification for UHI and urban climate studies do not adequately express the pattern and intensity of UHI. Moreover, these definitions of UHI find it hard to capture the human activity-induced anthropogenic heat that is highly correlated with urban functional zones (UFZ). Therefore, in this study, with a comparison (theory, technology, and application) of the previous definition (UR and LCZ) of UHI and integration of computer programming technology, social sensing, and remote sensing, we develop a new urban functional zone-based urban temperature zoning system (UFZC). The UFZC system is generally a social-based, planning-oriented, and data-driven classification system associated with the urban function and temperature; it can also be effectively used in city management (e.g., urban planning and energy saving). Moreover, in the Beijing case, we tested the UFZC system and preliminarily analyzed the land surface temperature (LST) difference patterns and causes of the 11 UFZC types. We found that, compared to other UFZCs, the PGZ (perseveration green zone)-UFZC has the lowest LST, while the CBZ (center business district zone)-UFZC and GCZ (general commercial zone)-UFZC contribute the most and stable heat sources. This implies that reducing the heat generated by the function of commercial (and industrial) activities is an effective measure to reduce the UHI effect. We also proposed that multi-source temperature datasets with a high spatiotemporal resolution are needed to obtain more accurate results; thus providing more accurate recommendations for mitigating UHI effects. In short, as a new and finer urban temperature zoning system, although UFZC is not intended to supplant the UR and LCZ classifications, it can facilitate more detailed and coupled urban climate studies.

Highlights

The agricultural zone (AGZ)-UFZC and industrial zone (IDZ)-UFZC are mainly located in the east and zone (AGZ)-UFZC and industrial zone (IDZ)-UFZC are mainly located in the east and southeast part of Beijing and with mean land surface temperature (LST) of 25.1 °C and 25.6 °C
The integration of social sensing and remote sensing, we developed a new urban functional zone-based (UFZC) urban temperature zoning system
Of urban heat island (UHI), we suggested that the new concept of UFZC can be a better classification system for urban temperature study due to the high probability of obtaining detailed physical and nonphysical information

Summary

Introduction

The urban climate is one of the hot topics in urban environment research [1]. Urbanization has transformed natural surfaces into a coupled human and natural system, which alter the materials, energy flows, radiation, and composition of the atmospheric structure in the near-surface layer [2,3,4,5]. The modification of terrestrial surfaces, changes in surface material and the albedo of buildings (pavements), the geometry of the surface structure (e.g., spacing and height of buildings), and anthropogenic heat emissions cause one of the most significant impacts on the Earth’s surface climate—the urban heat island (UHI) [6,7,8,9,10].

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion