Mitigating Urban Heat Island Effect in Megacities: The Case of Delhi and Bangalore, India
Journal: Architecture Engineering and Science DOI: 10.32629/aes.v6i2.4078
Abstract
Urban Heat Island (UHI) is a rising environmental concern that has gathered increasing attention due to its profound impact on quality of life in megacities worldwide. This paper delves into the Urban Heat Island phenomenon in megacities like Bangalore and New Delhi, its root causes, resulting consequences as well as potential remedies. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the urgency of addressing UHIs in megacities through strategic urban planning. The paper aims to comprehend the adverse impacts of UHIs and investigate planning strategies to mitigate them, with a primary focus on urban characteristics such as urbanization, land use patterns, and green spaces as the main drivers of UHIs. Rapid urbanization transforms natural landscapes into areas dominated by heat-retaining materials such as concrete and asphalt, leading to higher temperatures that intensify the effect of Urban Heat Islands (UHIs). Densely built-up areas with towering buildings trap heat, while diminishing green spaces such as parks, gardens, and trees etc., lose their ability to provide cooling shade and evapotranspiration (the process by which plants release water vapor). This paper highlights the necessity of adaptive urban planning strategies tailored to the unique challenges of each megacity, aiming to create more sustainable and resilient urban environments. Additionally, the inclusion of green infrastructure, water bodies and sustainable urban development practices can also lead to an increase in the resilience and liveability of cities alongside the mitigation approach towards UHI effect.
Keywords
urban heat island, megacities, urban planning, mitigation strategies, sustainability, India
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[3]Chen, L., Li, T., Wang, F., and Chen, J. (2019). Quantifying the impact of urban heat island intensity on air quality using a non-linear quantile regression model. Atmospheric Environment, 198, 345-355. doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.10.017
[4]Clarke, J., Hajat, S., Heaviside, C., Jones, N. and Vardoulakis, S. (2020). Health effects of household solid fuel use: Findings from 11 countries within the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN). Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 17(12), 1526-1535. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202001-008OC
[5]Dhir, K. (2021). Evaluation of Urban Heat Island Effect in Cybercity, New Delhi Using a 3D Urban Microclimate Model: Envi Met (Master's thesis, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA). Retrieved February 8, 2024, from https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/660139/azu_etd_18773_sip1_m.pdf?sequence=1
[6]EMPRI, Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute, (2017). Urban Planning Characteristics to Mitigate Climate Change in context of Urban Heat Island Effect (Project Report No. 2016BG03). Uttar Pradesh. Retrieved January 24, 2024, from https://www.teriin.org/sites/default/files/2018-03/urba-heat-island-effect-report.pdf
[7]Farooq S.and Kamal Arif M. (2020). Analysis of Green Living Wall: Individual Awareness about its Functional Value and Aesthetical Quality, Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 8(4), 44-449.
[8]Gopalakrishnan, S. G. (2002). Urban Heat Island studies in Bangalore using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Department of Environmental Science, Bangalore University.
[9]Jain R., Brar T. S. and Kamal Arif M. (2025). Assessment of Mitigation Strategies for Urban Heat Island Effect in Open High Rise Residential Areas of Delhi, India. Architecture Engineering and Science, 6(2), pp.103-121.
[10]Jain R., Brar T.S., Kamal Arif M., (2022) Environmental Impact and Mitigation Benefits of Urban Heat Island Effect: A Systematic Review, Architecture Engineering and Science, 3(4), 230-237. doi: 10.32629/aes.v3i3.1007.
[11]Kamal Arif M. (2024). Investigating the Role of Insulated Tiles as a Prospective Material for Building Envelope: Thermal Performance and Energy Efficiency, Journal of Building Materials and Structures, 11(1), 79-92.
[12]Kjellstrom, T., Kovats, S., Lloyd, S., Holt, T. and Tol, R. (2018). The direct impact of climate change on regional labor productivity. Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health, 73(4), 206-212. doi: 10.1080/19338244.2017.1350584
[13]Lee, S. H. and Kim, D. (2022). Multidisciplinary Understanding of the Urban Heating Problem and Mitigation: A Conceptual Framework for Urban Planning. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610249
[14]Lindsay, S., Nedzweckas and Rosen. Urban Heat Island Project Report. Retrieved January 24, 2024, from https://www.green.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/UHI_Project.pdf (No. BSC4861L).
[15]Naeem, M., Manzoor, M., Khan, A. and Bilal, M. (2019). Impacts of energy consumption on global warming and mitigation strategies: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 107, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2019.02.010
[16]Qi, J. (2020). A Decision-Making Framework to Support Urban Heat Mitigation by Local Governments. unsworks.unsw.edu.au. Doi: https://doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/2199
[17]Rajabi, T. (2011). The Study of Vegetation Effects on Reduction of Urban Heat Island in Dubai. Retrieved February 8, 2024, from https://wsb14barcelona.org/programme/pdf_poster/P-221.pdf
[18]Ramachandra, T. V., and Kumar U. (2010). Greater Bangalore: Emerging urban heat island. Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI). Bangalore, India.
[19]Roth, M. (2024). Urban Heat Islands. In Handbook of Environmental Fluid Dynamics, Volume Two (Vol. 2). Retrieved January 24, 2024, from https://ap5.fas.nus.edu.sg/fass/geomr/roth%20uhi%20hefd13.pdf
[20]Rovers (2016). The impacts of Urban Heat Islands on North-western European cities. Luleå University of Technology Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering. Retrieved February 8, 2025, from https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1020112/FULLTEXT02.pdf
[21]Shalaby, H. A. and Aboelnaga, S. (2017). Climate Change Impacts on Urban lanning in the Cities. Social Science Research Network. Retrieved January 24, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3162375
[22]Shi, H., Xian, G., Auch, R. F., Gallo, K. P. and Zhou, Q. (2021). Urban Heat Island and Its Regional Impacts Using Remotely Sensed Thermal Data—A Review of Recent Developments and Methodology. Land. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/land10080867
[23]Stewart, I. D. and Oke, T. R. (2012). Local climate zones for urban temperature studies. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 93(12), 1879–1900. http://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-11- 00019.1
[24]Wong, N. H. and Yu, C. (2005). Study of green areas and urban heat island in a tropical city. Habitat International, 29(3), 547–558. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2004.04.008
[25]Wang, Y., Huang, X. and Jia, Y. (2020). Urban heat island: A review of the main causal factors, modelling, and mitigation measures. Engineering, 6(8), 895-904. doi: 10.1016/j.eng.2020.03.015
[26]Yang, L., Qian, F., Song, D. X. and Zheng, K. J. (2016). Research on Urban Heat-Island Effect. Procedia Engineering, 169, 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.10.002
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