A cross-scale analysis of the correlation between daytime air temperature and heterogeneous urban spaces

Abstract

The problem of the urban thermal environment is becoming increasingly noticeable in the process of modern urban development. The temperature patterns in central business districts can be more complicated due to the heterogeneous urban spaces and diverse building forms, which need more cross-scale research. This study investigated the correlation between air temperature and urban morphology in a heterogeneous urban district in northeastern China. The thermal environment of the studied district in the summertime was simulated by ENVI-met. A total of 12 morphological indicators were selected to describe the geometric features of the studied district. Curve estimation was employed to quantify the correlation between air temperature and morphological indicators. The results indicate different effects of the morphological indicators of the air temperature on different scales. On a mesoscale, the compactness (Com), building footprint ratio (BFR), enclosure degree (ED) and total height to total area ratio (HA) had a significant correlation with the air temperature. On a microscale, only the BFR and ED had relatively steady correlations with the air temperature. The correlation between air temperature and morphological indicators could be influenced by the heterogeneity of the urban morphology, including the diversity of the heights and footprints of buildings and the irregularity of building horizontal arrangement.