Quantifying Urban Form via Spatial Metrics and its Climatic Implications

Extreme heat events on average are responsible for more climate-related fatalities than any other form of extreme weather. A large portion of these deaths occur amongst vulnerable populations residing in city centers partially because the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect inhibits nocturnal cooling. Currently, a consensus does not exist regarding (1) how urban form impacts UHI intensity as both sprawling and denser patterns of urban development have been hypothesized to produce a stronger UHI; (2) how the UHI and its counterpart, the Urban Dry Island (UDI), are spatio-temporally defined; and (3) how urban form is related to the UDI effect. By analyzing the 50 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the United States, this study aims to elucidate the relationships between urban form, UHI intensity and UDI intensity. The specific research objectives are to (1) quantify urban form at the MSA scale using spatial metrics, (2) compute the canopy level UHI/UDI intensities using a systematic methodology and (3) evaluate the degree of association between various urban morphologies and the UHI/UDI intensities. Results will be presented for discussion and evaluation. This research provides a comprehensive effort to connect urbanization with its climatic ramifications and has the potential to yield valuable information for creating more sustainable and livable cities in the future.