Incorporation of Urban Form and Function for Improved Correlation Between Land Use Types and Land Surface Temperatures

In this study, the correlation between Land Surface temperature and the Urban land use types is analyzed and improved. Our current framework improves upon the existing one in mesoscale models where urban regions are viewed merely in terms of albedo, surface roughness and Bowen’s ratio. This is achieved through a more realistic representation of the urban form and function that ultimately lead to the spatiotemporal thermal patterns within a city. The urban form is represented using a classification scheme called the Local Climate Zones. The functional aspect is improved upon by the incorporation of the anthropogenic fluxes as a result of vehicular emissions, air-conditioning of buildings, and industrial process,  in to the energy balance equation. We suggest that understanding the impact of urban form and function on their microclimate, will facilitate the design of smarter, resilient cities.