World Urbanization Research Articles

Perspectives on Future Protein Production.

An increasing world population, rising affluence, urbanization, and changing eating habits are all contributing to the diversification of protein production. Protein is a building block of life and is an essential part of a healthy diet, providing amino acids for growth and repair. The challenges and opportunities for production of protein-rich foods from animals (meat, dairy, and aquaculture), plant-based sources (pulses), and emerging protein sources (insects, yeast, and microalgae) are discussed against the backdrop of palatability, nutrition, and sustainability.

High-resolution regional modeling of urban moisture island: mechanisms and implications on thermal comfort

The urban moisture island (UMI) can aggravate the thermal stress due to the urban heat island (UHI) in subtropical and tropical cities. In this study, we investigated the spatiotemporal variation patterns of UMI in Hong Kong, a subtropical coastal city, using the fine-resolution mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model by integrating local climate zone (LCZ) maps based on the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT). Our results show that at regional scale, the UMI phenomenon tends to occur in coastal areas, possibly owing to rich moisture sources from sea breeze and inhibited moisture penetration due to barrier effects of mountains. Specifically, an all-day UMI effect was found in coastal low-density low-rise areas (LCZ5&8&10), while a nocturnal UMI effect and a daytime urban dry island (UDI) effect were found in coastal high-density high-rise areas (LCZ1&2). The UDI effect at daytime can be attributed to strong vertical moisture convection associated with intensive surface sensible heat fluxes in a strongly mixed urban boundary layer (UBL). The UMI effect at night can be attributed to blocked ventilation aisle, inhibited dewfall due to UHI, and weakened upward motion in a stable UBL. On the other hand, UMI can increase regional heat risks with additional 37.5% neighbourhoods in Extreme caution level and additional 6.1% neighbourhoods in Danger level. In addition, the impact of UMI on human thermal stress was found to be dominant at daytime in coastal low-density low-rise areas (LCZ5&8&10) and at nighttime in coastal high-density high-rise areas (LCZ1&2).

Chemical and mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete incorporated with cigarette filters

Smoking epidemics have increased the number of smokers around the globe. Moreover, the world urbanization steadily increases. As a result, environmental problems are exacerbated by the proliferation of combustible and electronic cigarettes and the cement invasion of permeable spaces. Therefore, sustainable construction/building materials that use recycled ingredients like cigarette filters are worth considering. This paper assesses and compares, for the first time in the literature, the chemical and mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete substituted by 0, 10, 15, and 20% by weight of cigarette filters. Results have shown that the higher the amount of cigarette filters, the lower the mechanical strength. However, the results also indicate that the geopolymerization reaction is still in progress as the compressive strength of all aged samples is still increasing.

Highly efficient, rapid, and concurrent removal of toxic heavy metals by the novel 2D hybrid LDH–[Sn2S6

According to a United Nations report, by 2050 nearly six billion people worldwide will suffer from clean water scarcity. This is mostly because of the exponential proliferation of world population, urbanization, industrialization, and water pollution. Heavy metals are common water pollutants that can pose grave public health consequences. Existing water purification systems are lack of materials that have the potential for quick, simultaneous, efficient, and cost-efficient removal of numerous toxic metals from wastewater. Here, we report the design and synthesis of an economically viable Layered Double Hydroxides - Stannic Sulfide, LDH–[Sn2S6] that exhibits a rapid, efficient, selective, and concurrent removal of Cu2+, Ag+, Cd2+, Pb2+, and Hg2+ from parts per million (ppm) level to below 5 parts per billion (ppb) satisfying World Health Organization’s (WHO) safe drinking water limit. Moreover, LDH–[Sn2S6] shows exceptionally high removal efficiencies of the above metals in acidic, neutral, and basic conditions. LDH–[Sn2S6] also demonstrates enormous sorption capacities of 378, 978, 332, 579, and 666 mg/g for Cu2+, Ag+, Cd2+, Pb2+, and Hg2+, respectively. Remarkably, LDH–[Sn2S6] displays extraordinary tolerance to the concentrations of Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-, CO32–, NO3–,and SO42-, and other constituents in tap and river water, it efficiently sequestrates Cu2+, Ag+, Cd2+, Pb2+, and Hg2+ from ppm to safe drinking water levels in minutes. LDH–[Sn2S6] shows pseudo-second-order sorption kinetics suggesting chemisorption adsorption mechanism involving M−S bonding. Altogether, the regeneratable LDH–[Sn2S6] becomes an exceptional material that shows ultrahigh removal, unprecedented selectivity, rapid adsorption kinetics, wide pH stability, and a massive adsorption capacity. The integration of these features places LDH–[Sn2S6] at the top of all adsorbents known to date and thus could be used for wastewater purifications.

GƏNCƏ ŞƏHƏRİNDƏ URBANZASİYANIN ŞƏHƏRƏTRAFI TORPAQLARIN İDARƏOLUNMASINA TƏSİRİNİN ÖYRƏNİLMƏSİNDƏ COĞRAFİ İNFORMASİYA SİSTEMİNİN ROLU

More than the half of world population, about 4, 4 billion were observed to move urbans compared to the country population after 2007 year.This moving still continues in the cities with more population. If urbanization was observed to be equal for the number of the city and country people in the last decades,urban life is expected to increase significantly till 2050 according to the World Urbanization Perspectives of UN. So, if the world population is predicted to be 9,8 billion, then 6,7 of these will be inhabited in urbans, but 3,1 billion will settle in the countries. Urbanization process is observed in Azerbaijan as other countries of the world.This process has started mainly since 1991, after getting independence.Urbanization in research city Ganja began to be formed at the same time with social-economical progress of our country. Key words: Urbanization, geospatial, GIS, sattelite images, map layer

Simulation of O3 and NOx in São Paulo street urban canyons with VEIN (v0.2.2) and MUNICH (v1.0).

We evaluate the performance of the Model of Urban Network of Intersecting Canyons and Highways (MUNICH) in simulating ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) concentrations within the urban street canyons in the São Paulo metropolitan area (SPMA). The MUNICH simulations are performed inside the Pinheiros neighborhood (a residential area) and Paulista Avenue (an economic hub), which are representative urban canyons in the SPMA. Both zones have air quality stations maintained by the São Paulo Environmental Agency (CETESB), providing data (both pollutant concentrations and meteorological) for model evaluation. Meteorological inputs for MUNICH are produced by a simulation with the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) over triple-nested domains with the innermost domain centered over the SPMA at a spatial grid resolution of 1 km. Street coordinates and emission flux rates are retrieved from the Vehicular Emission Inventory (VEIN) emission model, representing the real fleet of the region. The VEIN model has an advantage to spatially represent emissions and present compatibility with MUNICH. Building height is estimated from the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) local climate zone map for SPMA. Background concentrations are obtained from the Ibirapuera air quality station located in an urban park. Finally, volatile organic compound (VOC) speciation is approximated using information from the São Paulo air quality forecast emission file and non-methane hydrocarbon concentration measurements. Results show an overprediction of O3 concentrations in both study cases. NOx concentrations are underpredicted in Pinheiros but are better simulated in Paulista Avenue. Compared to O3, NO2 is better simulated in both urban zones. The O3 prediction is highly dependent on the background concentration, which is the main cause for the model O3 overprediction. The MUNICH simulations satisfy the performance criteria when emissions are calibrated. The results show the great potential of MUNICH to represent the concentrations of pollutants emitted by the fleet close to the streets. The street-scale air pollutant predictions make it possible in the future to evaluate the impacts on public health due to human exposure to primary exhaust gas pollutants emitted by the vehicles.

Mitigation Options to Reduce Peak Air Temperature and Air-Conditioning Demand in the Context of a Warming Climate for a Tropical Coastal City

Abstract Air conditioning (AC) demand has recently grown to about 10% of total electricity globally, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that the cooling requirement for buildings globally increases by three-fold by 2050 without additional policy interventions. The impacts of these increases for energy demand for human comfort are more pronounced in tropical coastal areas due to the high temperatures and humidity and their limited energy resources. One of those regions is the Caribbean, where building energy demands often exceed 50% of the total electricity, and this demand is projected to increase due to a warming climate. The interconnection between the built environment and the local environment introduces the challenge to find new approaches to explore future energy demand changes and the role of mitigation measures to curb the increasing demands for vulnerable tropical coastal cities due to climate change. This study presents mid-of-century and end-of-century cooling demand projections along with demand alleviation measures for the San Juan Metropolitan Area in the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico using a high-resolution configuration of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with Building Energy Model (BEM) forced by bias-corrected Community Earth Systems Model (CESM1) global simulations. The World Urban Database Access Portal Tool (WUDAPT) Land Class Zones (LCZs) bridge the gap required by BEM for their morphology and urban parameters. MODIS land covers land use is depicted for all-natural classes. The baseline historical period of 2008–2012 is compared with climate and energy projections in addition to energy mitigation options. Energy mitigation options explored include the integration of solar power in buildings, the use of white roofs, and high-efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The impact of climate change is simulated to increase minimum temperatures at the same rate as maximum temperatures. However, the maximum temperatures are projected to rise by 1–1.5 °C and 2 °C for mid- and end-of-century, respectively, increasing peak AC demand by 12.5% and 25%, correspondingly. However, the explored mitigation options surpass both increases in temperature and AC demand. The AC demand reduction potential with energy mitigation options for 2050 and 2100 decreases the need by 13% and 1.5% with the historical periods. Overall, the demand reduction potential varies with LCZs showing a high reduction potential for sparsely built (32%), and low for compact low rise (21%) for the mid-of-century period compared with the same period without mitigation options.

LCZ Generator: A Web Application to Create Local Climate Zone Maps

Since their introduction in 2012, Local Climate Zones (LCZs) emerged as a new standard for characterizing urban landscapes, providing a holistic classification approach that takes into account micro-scale land-cover and associated physical properties. In 2015, as part of the community-based World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) project, a protocol was developed that enables the mapping of cities into LCZs, using freely available data and software packages, yet performed on local computing facilities. The LCZ Generator described here further simplifies this process, providing an online platform that maps a city of interest into LCZs, solely expecting a valid training area file and some metadata as input. The web application (available athttps://lcz-generator.rub.de) integrates the state-of-the-art of LCZ mapping, and simultaneously provides an automated accuracy assessment, training data derivatives, and a novel approach to identify suspicious training areas. As this contribution explains all front- and back-end procedures, databases, and underlying datasets in detail, it serves as the primary “User Guide” for this web application. We anticipate this development will significantly ease the workflow of researchers and practitioners interested in using the LCZ framework for a variety of urban-induced human and environmental impacts. In addition, this development will ease the accessibility and dissemination of maps and their metadata.

Economic Structural Transformation in Emerging Market Countries

This article analyzes the structural transformation in 30 emerging market countries (E30) on the dimensions of industry, trade, and urbanization. It finds that first, in the agricultural sector, E30 have contributed greatly to the increase of the global agricultural productivity and the transfer of labor force from the agricultural sector to industry or the service sector. However, these countries still feature a high percentage of agricultural employment, which means there is vast room for shifting the agricultural labor force. Second, in the industrial sector, E30 have made remarkable contributions to the world’s industrial development but have also displayed a trend of premature “deindustrialization.” Third, the service sector has picked up speed and gradually turned into a new driver of economic development in E30. Against this backdrop, E30 face the major challenge of how to cope with the premature deindustrialization and smoothly shift the economic growth engine from the industrial sector to the service sector. Fourth, E30 have become an important force in the world trade, with their trade structure switching from simple, primary, low-value-added goods to sophisticated, high-grade, and high-value-added goods and services. However, some emerging market countries are more susceptible to the impacts of the anti-globalization trend because of their high reliance on foreign trade and improper trade structure. Therefore, how to diversify the economy and enhance its economic resilience holds the key to the sustainable economic development of E30. Fifth, E30 have contributed greatly to world urbanization. As urbanization relies more on the service sector than on the industrial sector, it is vital to properly strike a balance between industrialization and urbanization, and between industrialization and service sector development.

Mapping and analyzing the local climate zones in China’s 32 major cities using Landsat imagery based on a novel convolutional neural network

ABSTRACT The Local Climate Zone (LCZ) scheme provides researchers with a standard method to monitor the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and conduct temperature studies. How to generate reliable LCZ maps has therefore become a research focus. In recent years, researchers have attempted to use Landsat imagery to delineate LCZs and generate maps worldwide based on the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT). However, the mapping results obtained by the WUDAPT method are not satisfactory. In this paper, to generate more accurate LCZ maps, we propose a novel Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model (namely, LCZ-CNN), which is designed to cope with the issues of LCZ classification using Landsat imagery. Furthermore, in this study, we applied the LCZ-CNN model to generate LCZ mapping results for China’s 32 major cities distributed in various climatic zones, achieving a significantly better accuracy than the traditional classification strategies and a satisfactory computational efficiency. The proposed LCZ-CNN model achieved satisfactory classification accuracies in all 32 cities, and the Overall Accuracies (OAs) of more than half of the cities were higher than 80%. We also designed a series of experiments to comprehensively analyze the proposed LCZ-CNN model, with regard to the transferability of the network and the effectiveness of multi-seasonal information. It was found that the first convolutional stage, corresponding to low-level features, shows better transferability than the second and third convolutional stages, which extract high-level and more image- or task-oriented features. It was also confirmed that the multi-seasonal information can improve the accuracy of LCZ classification. The thermal characteristics of the different LCZ classes were also analyzed based on the mapping results for China’s 32 major cities, and the experimental results confirmed the close relationship between the LCZ classes and the magnitude of the Land Surface Temperature (LST).

Assessing heat exposure to extreme temperatures in urban areas using the Local Climate Zone classification

Abstract. Trends of extreme-temperature episodes in cities are increasing (in frequency, magnitude and duration) due to regional climate change in interaction with urban effects. Urban morphologies and thermal properties of the materials used to build them are factors that influence spatial and temporal climate variability and are one of the main reasons for the climatic singularity of cities. This paper presents a methodology to evaluate the urban and peri-urban effect on extreme-temperature exposure in Barcelona (Spain), using the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification as a basis, which allows a comparison with other cities of the world characterised using this criterion. LCZs were introduced as input of the high-resolution UrbClim model (100 m spatial resolution) to create daily temperature (median and maximum) series for summer (JJA) during the period 1987 to 2016, pixel by pixel, in order to create a cartography of extremes. Using the relationship between mortality due to high temperatures and temperature distribution, the heat exposure of each LCZ was obtained. Methodological results of the paper show the improvement obtained when LCZs were mapped through a combination of two techniques (land cover–land use maps and the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools – WUDAPT – method), and the paper proposes a methodology to obtain the exposure to high temperatures of different LCZs in urban and peri-urban areas. In the case of Barcelona, the distribution of temperatures for the 90th percentile (about 3–4 ∘C above the average conditions) leads to an increase in the relative risk of mortality of 80 %.

The influence of waste of concrete masonry units as coarse aggregate on concrete properties

The world population and urbanization growing has noticeably increased the demand for new factories and housing units. As well as, huge amounts of waste generated by the buildings destroyed as a result of the wars in Iraq which is causing serious environmental pollution including a landfilling and disposal problem. One of the solutions to solve this problem is reusing the wastes of construction and demolition as aggregate to produce new concrete. The main objective of this study is to determine the effect of using crushed concrete masonry units (CMU) with different contents (0%, 20%, 40%, and 60%) as coarse aggregate on the structural performance of the new concrete under compressive, flexural, and tensile loading in comparison with concrete made with natural aggregate. The wastes of the hollow CMU were used and collected from three different sources. Test results showed that the workability of new concrete decreased with increasing in CMU content. The compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strengths of new concrete were affected by recycled coarse aggregate content. In general, the strength of new concrete can be 1–30% lower than that of concrete made with natural coarse aggregate. Based on the test results, the new concrete can be used for structural purposes, but caution is advised mainly when exceeding the absolute volume replacement percentage of coarse aggregate by CMU of 40%.

МЕТРОПОЛІТЕНСЬКИЙ РЕГІОН: ЕВОЛЮЦІЯ ПІДХОДІВ ТА ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ПРОСТОРОВОЇ ОРГАНІЗАЦІЇ НА ПРИКЛАДІ НЬЮ-ЙОРКА, США

Aim. The article is aimed to show the evolution of approaches and current thinking on metropolitan regions in the context of world urbanization; to analyze the main tendencies of New York metropolitan area development – one of the biggest metropolitan regions in the world with a core in a global city; basing on the case of New York, to illustrate the evolution of the methodology for metropolitan region delineation, its planning and spatial development in long-term perspective. Methodology. The methodology is based on a long-term analysis of the dynamics of New York city as well as spatial organization of the metropolitan region from the viewpoint of the evolution of approaches for delineation of the urbanized areas in the US and spatial planning perspectives, basing on several generations of New York metropolitan area regional plans. Results. The article reflects the evolution of ideas and basic concepts of metropolitan regions development as spatial entities. Basing on the US experience in the methodology of urban areas delineation, the main changes over recent decades and their relation to urbanization processes are reflected, in particular the role of low-density corridors, population density and housing density as criteria for urban areas identification is analyzed. This experience can be used to develop a methodology for identifying metropolitan regions in Ukraine, making delineation process and providing more balanced governance policy for these regions. Using the example of New York, the article shows the need to constantly update and adapt governance and planning policies in such regions, which is reflected in changes of managing growth, now mostly focusing on reducing segregation, preventing climate change, enhancing institutional transformations and strengthening the role of spatial planning. Novelty. Revealing the experience of metropolitan regions delineation, challenges for their spatial development and planning strategy for the case of New York metropolitan area, the article reflects actual methodological approaches to metropolitan regions delineation, making governance policy and spatial planning that can be adapted in Ukraine. Among the key proposed changes aimed at strengthening the sustainable development of such regions in Ukraine - development the methodology for their delineation, elaboration of metropolitan region development strategy and spatial planning for the whole region.

Urban Agglomerations in Japan ─ Proposal of Delineating Contiguous Densely Inhabited Districts for Japanese Data Applied to <i>World Urbanization Prospects</i> ─

Urban Agglomerations in Japan ─ Proposal of Delineating Contiguous Densely Inhabited Districts for Japanese Data Applied to <i>World Urbanization Prospects</i> ─

2020: A Year without Public Space under the COVID-19 Pandemic

On 8-13 February 2020 City Space Architecture, the publisher of The Journal of Public Space, participated in the 10th World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi as an exhibitor, and in collaboration with 16 global institutions promoted the exhibition 'PUBLIC SPACE IS VITAL FOR AN EQUITABLE URBAN FUTURE'. On April 7, while about 40% of global population was under coronavirus lockdown, City Space Architecture and the School of Architecture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong jointly announced the online initiative '2020: A Year without Public Space under the COVID-19 Pandemic' through The Journal of Public Space: after one month of consultation, by email and through online meetings, with academic scholars and colleagues from different geographical locations, we, public space scholars and activists, felt the urgency to build social and health resilience by establishing an open environment for discussion and learning, while taking advantage of technology and virtual platforms that many could access for free.

Herramientas para la planificación energética y ambientalmente sustentable de las áreas urbanas. Definición de Zonas Climáticas Locales en el AMM

El trabajo tiene por objetivo generar una zonificación climática para el Área Metropolitana de Mendoza (AMM) que permita estandarizar el estudio del clima urbano y disponer de una base teórica sólida para la planificación y manejo de la ciudad. El modelo desarrollado es el de Zonas Climáticas Locales (LCZ) propuesto por Stewart y Oke, y para ello se ha utilizado la herramienta WUDAPT (World Urban Database Access Portal Tools).Los resultados muestran que, las zonas climáticas identificadas dentro del área de análisis exponen correlación con el paisaje de los distintos sectores de la ciudad.

Exploring the distribution of energy consumption in a northeast Chinese city based on local climate zone scheme: Shenyang city as a case study

The local climate zone (LCZ) scheme is now used to investigate urban heat islands, which provides additional reference for energy consumption simulation. Based on the LCZ scheme, a LCZ mapping of Shenyang, a city in northeast China, was first constructed using the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) Level 0 method. Subsequently, DeST-h was considered to simulate the energy consumption of urban buildings with concentration areas. The results show that with Shenyang being a severely cold area, the annual energy consumption of heating is approximately twice that of refrigeration for an individual building. The total energy consumption of open-distributed single buildings is higher than that of compact-distributed single buildings. Consequently, the unit cumulative energy consumption in compact-distributed buildings is higher than that in openly distributed building areas. The compact high-rise buildings (LCZ 1) have the highest energy consumption, with a unit annual energy consumption of 123,771.150 MW·h, which is equivalent to 41,257 tons of standard coal combustion power generation. Considering the energy consumption of residential buildings, the central high-rise buildings group and the compact centralized middle-rise buildings in the downtown area are high energy consumption areas. For future urban planning, design strategies such as energy-saving transformation and energy planning should be considered. The research results can provide a scientific basis and theoretical support for reducing building energy consumption, alleviating the urban heat island effect, and the development of modern urban planning.

Dark Side Archaeology: Climate Change and Mid-Holocene Saharan Pastoral Adaptation.

High-resolution paleoenvironmental research allows us to pinpoint the tempo and amplitude of past climate changes. Abrupt climate events have axiomatically triggered cascades of adjustments, in vegetation, fauna, humans, and pathogens. This essay focuses on the abrupt end of the African Humid Episode (9000–6000 cal BP), ca. 5000 cal BP in the Sahara. Neolithic pastoralists, practicing transhumance between sandy lowlands and Saharan mountains, adopted new cultural practices: cattle burials and livestock bone deposits in built installations. Their ritual nature is indisputable. But ritual for what? If considered from the perspective of livestock zoonoses, such practices may point to the “dark side” of cultural adjustments—strategies to counter human and livestock diseases. Livestock zoonoses are constant sources of emerging infectious diseases (EID) in the present, as they were in the past. Sustained research on livestock and human health are of paramount importance given the accelerating rate of world urbanization.

Urban heat island circulations over the Beijing-Tianjin region under calm and fair conditions

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has experienced severe urban heat island (UHI) effects in recent decades. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the new World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) land-use dataset, the urban heat island circulations (UHICs) and other local atmospheric circulations over Beijing and Tianjin were studied during a severe UHI event in 2012. It was shown that in the daytime, various UHICs over Beijing and Tianjin developed separately under a southerly background wind. Two of these UHICs formed over Beijing due to multiple hot regions, involving a chain flow mechanism in which the outflows from one UHIC over nearby mountains were connected to the inflows to the other UHICs in a west-to-east direction. At night, more robust UHICs occurred and a chain flow mechanism again formed over the Beijing-Tianjin region, as the upper-level outflows from the UHIC over Tianjin were connected to the inflows of the UHIC over Beijing. Moreover, the rotary air movements formed by the flows over the mountain and the down-slope winds formed a convergent region in the northwest of Beijing. In particular, sensitivity experiments replacing either Beijing or Tianjin with cropland grids revealed that the presence of either of those urban areas modified the penetration of the sea-breeze circulation. The city shape was found to affect the UHIC over Beijing at night, as the convergent zones were distributed diagonally and the wind speeds were higher in the diagonal direction.

Local climate zones in five southern European cities: An improved GIS-based classification method based on Copernicus data

While climate change projections for the Mediterranean region indicate an increased exposure to heatwaves (HW), such prospects are particularly challenging in urban areas, where thermal stress can be exacerbated by the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. In that regard, understanding spatial patterns of thermal performance is of the utmost importance, in order to address corresponding adaptation measures. Local Climate Zones (LCZ) have become the standard typification of Land Cover/Land Use classes, according to their climatic response. However, the corresponding satellite-based classification method from the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) presents accuracy issues when applied to European cities. Several studies have provided alternative LCZ methodologies, but these usually require data which is not often readily available (e.g. high-resolution digital surface models), therefore rendereing them hard to replicate. This study addresses this issue by developing an alternative geographic information system (GIS)-based method, and the corresponding toolbox, to translate Copernicus datasets into LCZ maps: Urban Atlas and Corine Land Cover shapefiles are used as the baseline dataset for the reclassification. The method was proven to be accurate in the five cities used in the case study - Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, Marseille, and Naples - 81% overall accuracy, and 0.79 Kappa coefficient, on average. Results reveal the presence of a diurnal surface UHI, with lower land surface temperatures (LST) found in tree covered areas. However, similar LST found in the other LCZ classes (e.g. between compact and sparsely built-up areas) indicates that diurnal patterns of the urban energy balance components must be considered to better characterise the UHI of these cities.