Role of local climate zone and space syntax on land surface temperature (case study: Tehran)

Land surface temperature (LST) is one of the key parameters in the physics of land surface processes from local through global scales. Although many definitions and classifications have been proposed to better understand the causes and evolution of LST, not enough attention has been paid to their relationship to factors such as socioeconomic characteristics and spatial configuration of cities and the fact that city-level temperatures may not exist. Aiming to elucidate the effects of these factors and their relation to surface temperature dynamics, this study explored the relationship between land surface temperature (LST) variations and (using the Local Climate Zone [LCZ] method) space syntax (using Open Street Map data), and other physical and non-physical (e.g., socioeconomic) factors (and their combined effects through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method). In the next step, a map of socio-spatial segregation, comprising four urban zones, was created. The lowest and highest mean LST figures were related to “water body” and “bare soil or sand” LCZs. Among the four segregated zones in this study, the lowest mean LST was recorded in the integrated areas. The highest mean LST was observed in the absolute (involuntary) segregation zone. The results suggested that integrated areas have a lower standard deviation than those of other zones, indicating a more consistent or stable cooling effect. In addition, the varied composition of building heights could help to mitigate the urban heat island. Finally, some considerations were presented for local climate improvement in the urban spatial structure.