District-scale cumulative heat stress mapping using very-high-resolution spatiotemporal simulation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21230159 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nicola Colaninno (0000-0003-4428-639X, Politecnico di Milano, corresponding author), Agnese Salvati (0000-0002-1449-1299, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), Judit López-Besora (0000-0002-8659-9346), Jorge A Pena Lopez, Michele Morganti (0000-0002-1187-2117, Sapienza University of Rome) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 130 |
| Pages | 106498 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sustainable Cities and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2210-6707 • E-ISSN: 2210-6715 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.scs.2025.106498 |
| OpenAlex | W4410799769 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 90 |
Urban heat stress is a pressing issue, intensified by climate change and urban heat islands. This study introduces a methodology for creating very-high-resolution districtscale cumulative heat stress maps to support climate-responsive urban planning. Using the SOLWEIG model, we simulated mean radiant temperature (Tmrt) across Barcelona's Gràcia district, achieving high accuracy by employing an anisotropic sky model and a 10% tree canopy transmissivity coefficient. Simulations for the hottest day of 2022 revealed significant variations in outdoor heat stress due to urban morphology and vegetation. Analysis of three plazas and four urban canyons with differing designs and vegetation levels demonstrated that tree cover can reduce peak Tmrt by over 20°C in exposed areas. Hourly Tmrt maps enabled the creation of a novel district-scale cumulative heat stress map, highlighting daily hours of extreme heat stress and revealing hotspots and cooler zones shaped by urban geometry and tree cover. These findings underscore the critical role of vegetation and urban design in mitigating heat stress and enhancing thermal comfort. The study provides actionable insights for city planners, practitioners, and policymakers to reduce health risks from extreme heat, fostering urban resilience and sustainability amidst global warming
Atmospheric sciences · Cartography · Geography · Heat stress · Building Energy and Comfort Optimization · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Environmental Science · Urban Heat Island Mitigation · Geology
Group-specific thermal resilience and retrofit strategies for existing residential buildings under future climate scenarios considering neighborhood effects
Urban heat exposure under extreme heatwaves
Socio-demographic disparities of heat exposure in affluent, aging, and diverse Swiss society
Bridging Objective and Subjective Heat Stress
Influence of urbanization on heat exposure risk across Indian cities
Beyond the Canopy
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Sky view factor analysis of street canyons and its implications for daytime intra‐urban air temperature differentials in high‐rise, high‐density urban areas of Hong Kong
Modelling radiation fluxes in simple and complex environments
Simulating surface–plant–air interactions inside urban environments with a three dimensional numerical model
A field study of thermal comfort in outdoor and semi-outdoor environments in subtropical Sydney Australia
Modelling radiation fluxes in simple and complex environments—application of the RayMan model
Solweig 1.0 – Modelling spatial variations of 3D radiant fluxes and mean radiant temperature in complex urban settings
The influence of trees and grass on outdoor thermal comfort in a hot‐arid environment
The cooling effect of green spaces as a contribution to the mitigation of urban heat
Different methods for estimating the mean radiant temperature in an outdoor urban setting
Applications of a universal thermal index
Local Climate Zones for Urban Temperature Studies
Mapping urban heat islands and heat-related risk during heat waves from a climate justice perspective
Outdoor heat stress at preschools during an extreme summer in Gothenburg, Sweden - Preschool teachers’ experiences contextualized by radiation modelling
Investigating the spatial distribution of resident’s outdoor heat exposure across neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania using urban microclimate modeling
Shade maps for prioritizing municipal microclimatic action in hot climates
A WRF-UCM-Solweig framework for mapping thermal comfort and quantifying urban climate drivers
Are grand tree planting initiatives meeting expectations in mitigating urban overheating during heat waves
The application of the physiologically equivalent temperature to determine impacts of locally defined extreme heat events within vulnerable dwellings during the 2020 summer in Ankara
Sensitivity and vulnerability to summer heat extremes in major cities of the United States
Disproportionately higher exposure to urban heat in lower-income neighborhoods
Cooling hot cities
Environmental Consequences of Rapid Urbanization in Zhejiang Province, East China
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 7 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |