BUILDINGS AND URBAN HEAT ISLAND: A REVIEW OF PLANNING MITIGATION METHODS AND LESSONS

Abstract

There is a nexus between urban heat, global warming, and climate change. One viewpoint, indeed consensus, in the literature by leading climate change experts is that, for several practical reasons, cities will be the battleground for combating climate change. Using the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon as one of various measures of how cities contribute to global warming and, ultimately, climate change, it is important to analyze the various methods by which cities combat this phenomenon, and to identify lessons that cities around the world can share with, or learn from, each other. The main question addressed in this research is, what specific planning methods are documented in the empirical and conceptual literature by which cities currently monitor and manage the UHI phenomenon, thereby making cities more sustainable and livable, and mitigating their negative impacts on climate change? This exploratory and theoretical research used the desktop method to answer the research question. The outcomes of this research would highlight extant UHI mitigation methods around the world, and lessons that cities can learn and share in combating climate change.