Spatio-temporal dynamics of LULC and vegetation structure and their relationship with the urban heat island phenomenon in Rasht

Rezaee, Shahriar; Salaripour, Aliakbar

doi:10.22034/uep.2025.556211.1756

Spatio-temporal dynamics of LULC and vegetation structure and their relationship with the urban heat island phenomenon in Rasht

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Shahriar Rezaee ¹

Aliakbar Salaripour ²

¹ M.Sc. Student in urban planning, Department of Urban Studies, Faculty of Architecture and Art, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

² Associate professor, Department of Urban Design and Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Arts, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

10.22034/uep.2025.556211.1756

Abstract

Rapid and uncontrolled urbanization in the humid megacities of northern Iran, such as Rasht, has transformed agricultural and green lands into impermeable surfaces, intensifying the urban heat island (UHI) effect and reducing the urban quality of life. This study examines the long-term dynamics of land use and land cover (LULC) and their impact on land surface temperature (LST) patterns in Rasht from 2000 to 2024. Thermal data from Landsat satellites were used to extract LST with sensor-specific algorithms. Multi-temporal mosaicking and radiometric normalization were applied to address SLC errors in ETM+. LULC and urban structure maps were generated using Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery, incorporating spectral indices such as NDVI, NDBI, DBI, and EBBI. The study examined the correlations between land cover/urban structure and surface temperature. Results show that built-up areas increased from 41% to 63%, while green cover and agricultural lands decreased, correlating with a significant rise in LST and the highest average temperature recorded in 2016. A strong negative correlation between NDVI and LST (-0.7 to -0.8) and a high positive correlation between construction indices and LST (0.6 to 0.8) highlight the role of impermeable surfaces and fragmented green buffers in urban warming. The study suggests enhancing green-blue networks (including wetlands and agricultural lands), developing continuous green corridors, and utilizing reflective and permeable materials as key strategies to improve thermal resilience and support climate-responsive urban planning in Rasht.

Keywords

Land surface temperature (LST)

Land use diversity

Land use/land cover (LULC) change

Spatio-temporal analysis

Surface urban heat island (SUHI)

Thermal infrared remote sensing

20.1001.1.28212118.1405.7.4.2.4

Subjects

Urban planning

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