Investigating the Impact of Heat Stress and Green Space Accessibility for At-Risk Communities

Abstract

This work addresses the urban heat island issue and its impact on vulnerable populations in cities. Urban heat islands refer to the phenomenon where temperatures in built-up areas exceed those of surrounding rural regions due to the absorption and retention of heat by built-up surfaces and the lack of vegetation. The study focuses on Milan and uses data from Daytime Near-Surface Air Temperature estimates and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index to assess accessibility to green spaces during an extreme heat event. The goal is to establish a practical approach for assessing urban areas that are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat and have low accessibility to possible ‘urban cool islands’ to inform climate-proof urban planning, design, and policies and promote equitable access to green spaces. The methodology involves constructing a 3x3 table containing nine classes based on matrix logic, representing different degrees of thermal perception-based accessibility to green. The results of this study could be used to prioritize interventions to increase thermal comfort and achieve a more sustainable urban environment.