Urban Heat Island (UHI) Resilience Plan in Varying Climatic Conditions Using Geospatial Approach: A Case Study of Rajkot City

Abstract

During the twenty-first century, urbanization and industrialization are rapidly growing in India, adversely destroying the climate. Urban Heat Island can be discerned in urban areas due to anthropogenic activities, industrialization, deforesta-tion, etc. The main peculiarity of the UHI effect is a rise in temperature in core urban areas than their rural surroundings, leading to excessive energy usage and putting the urban population at significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the study of UHI is crucial for adaptation to climate change and making the city resilient. In this study, the LST and air temperature (ambient) of Rajkot city were assessed. We derived isotherm for Rajkot city for three locations: Trikon Baugh, Madhapar Chowk, and Atika industrial area having diverse typologies. The inconsistency between LST and ambient air temperature has been found out. Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, which contribute to the UHI effect, were also analyzed for these locations. From the analysis, UHI�s resilient strategies, effectiveness, and resilience were established to help provide recommendations for applying resilient strategies. The four central resilient systems are integrating reduction and response of UHI for existing policies and programs, strengthening and building green infrastructure, alleviating cool roofs, and creating cool road infrastructure. Detailed demonstration of resilient strategies was given through T.P. scheme-10 of Rajkot. � The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.