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Urban Heat Island’s Vulnerability Assessment by Integrating Urban Planning Policies: A Case Study of Montpellier Méditerranée Metropolitan Area, France

Author

Listed:
  • Magalie Técher

    (LIFAM Laboratory, High School of Architecture (ENSAM), 34090 Montpellier, France)

  • Hassan Ait Haddou

    (LIFAM Laboratory, High School of Architecture (ENSAM), 34090 Montpellier, France
    EVCAU Laboratory, High School of Architecture (ENSAPVS), 75013 Paris, France)

  • Rahim Aguejdad

    (LIFAM Laboratory, High School of Architecture (ENSAM), 34090 Montpellier, France
    UMR TETIS, INRAE, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, Maison de la Télédétection, 34000 Montpellier, France)

Abstract

The energy balance differences between urban and rural areas give rise to a representative phenomenon of urban climate change called the urban heat island (UHI). The UHI phenomenon, which is exacerbated by global warming effects and urban expansion, exposes urban areas and populations to thermal stress and overheating. Therefore, measuring the intensity of UHI vulnerability is needed to mitigate its effects on health, comfort, energy consumption and infrastructure. Additionally, urban decision makers are looking for methodologies to identify the most vulnerable areas in urban planning. This research aims to investigate areas prone to urban overheating in Montpellier Mediterranean metropolitan area as a representative case study of the French urban planning context. The objective is to develop a methodology for assessing UHI vulnerability based on the interaction of exposure and sensitivity to urban planning policies. Accordingly, a set of fifteen indicators is developed to visualize urban planning policies, exposure and sensitivity to urban overheating. A statistical-based method is applied to determine the individual weights based on the indicators’ variance, which is calculated using principal component analysis (PCA). The spatial and urban planning distribution of vulnerability is then analyzed. The results indicate that the areas with the highest urban planning challenges are most vulnerable to UHI. In fact, the results reveal that these areas have urban planning characteristics likely to aggravate urban overheating. Therefore, this research proposes a methodology for integrating mitigation solutions into urban planning: increase in permeable and green areas; improvement of urban ventilation and heat exchange and decrease in anthropogenic heat generation. It demonstrates that combining urban planning policies with exposure and sensitivity is a new perspective for vulnerability studies. The findings of this study can be utilized by decision makers to better visualize areas susceptible to UHI and plan appropriate mitigation strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Magalie Técher & Hassan Ait Haddou & Rahim Aguejdad, 2023. "Urban Heat Island’s Vulnerability Assessment by Integrating Urban Planning Policies: A Case Study of Montpellier Méditerranée Metropolitan Area, France," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-26, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:1820-:d:1039473
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Shaojing Jiang, 2023. "Compound Heat Vulnerability in the Record-Breaking Hot Summer of 2022 over the Yangtze River Delta Region," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(8), pages 1-15, April.
    2. Bouthaina Sayad & Mansour Rifaat Helmi & Oumr Adnan Osra & Ahmad Mohammed Abed & Haytham Hussain Alhubashi, 2024. "Microscale Investigation of Urban Heat Island (UHI) in Annaba City: Unveiling Factors and Mitigation Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-29, January.

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