The Impact of Spatial Form of Urban Architecture on the Urban Thermal Environment: A Case Study of the Zhongshan District, Dalian

Abstract

The correlation of spatial variation in land surface temperature with building height and density in Zhongshan District, Dalian, China, is investigated over the period 2003-2013. We utilize remote sensing data and multisource land-use data, which we evaluate using a combination of a single-window algorithm and correlation analysis. The results show that: 1) during 2003-2013, the number of high surface temperature regions increased by 4339 grid cells (out of a total of 53 601), with most of the high-temperature grid cells distributed along Jiefang Road and Zhongnan Road in the northern part of Zhongshan District. Ninety-eight percent of grid cells had temperature ranges of 293-309 K in July 2003, 296-310 K in August 2003, 295-308 K in July 2008, 296-311 K in August 2008, 305-314 K in July 2013, and 303-318 K in August 2013; 2) during 2003-2008, the number of low-rise buildings increased by 140%, and the number of multistory buildings increased by 100%. During 2008-2013, the number of buildings in all height categories remained relatively unchanged, with the exception of an 11% decrease in the number of low-rise buildings; 3) surface temperature showed weak correlation with building height (0.314, 0.346, and 0.361 in 2003, 2008, and 2013, respectively) but moderate correlation with building density (0.511, 0.533, and 0.563, respectively).