An analysis of urban form factors driving Urban Heat Island: the case of Izmir

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An analysis of urban form factors driving Urban Heat Island: the case of Izmir Umut Erdem1,2   · K. Mert Cubukcu1   · Ayyoob Sharifi3,4,5  Received: 3 November 2019 / Accepted: 14 August 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020

Abstract The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect is a common phenomenon in many cities across the world that has significant socioeconomic and environmental ramifications. Recognizing the significance of taking measures to mitigate the UHI effect, a vast body of research has been published, over the past few decades, on this topic. Existing research covers various climatic contexts and has significantly improved our understanding of the dynamics of the UHI. However, there is a lack of research on the potential linkages between the physical form of urban streets and the UHI effect. The results of such research can be used to develop planning and design strategies for achieving climate-resilient urban development. As a step toward filling this gap, in this study, we use a mixed-methods approach, involving graph theory and spatial statistics to examine the relationship between the UHI effect and selected urban form measures such as street network connectivity, street network centrality, and land-use in Izmir, Turkey. Results show that the UHI effect is more intense in areas with higher levels of street network centrality. On the contrary, higher connectivity of the urban street network is associated with lower levels of the UHI effect. Keywords  Urban heat island · Urban form · Urban street network · Connectivity · Centrality · Urban climate change mitigation · Adaptation · Graph theory

* Ayyoob Sharifi sharifi@hiroshima‑u.ac.jp; [email protected]

Umut Erdem [email protected]; [email protected]

K. Mert Cubukcu [email protected] 1

Department of City and Regional Planning, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey

2

Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

3

Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1‑3‑1 Kagamiyama, Higashi Hiroshima 739‑8530, Hiroshima, Japan

4

Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1‑3‑1 Kagamiyama, Higashi‑Hiroshima City, Hiroshima 739‑8530, Japan

5

Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability (NERPS), 1‑3‑1 Kagamiyama, Higashi‑Hiroshima 739‑8530, Hiroshima, Japan



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U. Erdem et al.

1 Introduction The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect refers to the temperature difference between an urban area and its surrounding rural areas. This temperature difference is often higher during night hours. There is strong scientific evidence showing that the UHI effect can have significant negative impacts on human health and quality of life (Revich 2011; Robine et al. 2008; Semenza et al. 1996; Sheridan and Kalkstein 2004). As a case in point, between 17 and 25 July of 2018, 25 people died in Tokyo and 57,534 people were hospitalized following the extreme heat event that was intensified due to th