A systematic review and scientometric analysis of urban heat island research: Trends, gaps, and perspectives

RezaeiRad, Hadi; Sheikhi, Saba; Fallaah Barzegar, Sahar

doi:10.22034/uep.2026.557763.1771

A systematic review and scientometric analysis of urban heat island research: Trends, gaps, and perspectives

Document Type : Review

Authors

Hadi RezaeiRad ¹

Saba Sheikhi ²

Sahar Fallaah Barzegar ³

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

² Ph.D. Graduated in Urban Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

³ B.Sc. student, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

10.22034/uep.2026.557763.1771

Abstract

The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon is one of the major challenges arising from urbanization and climate change, adversely affecting public health, energy consumption, and urban resilience. This study presents a systematic review combined with a scientometric analysis to organize existing knowledge, map research trends, and identify the factors contributing to the intensification of urban heat islands. Data were collected using relevant search terms from the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. VOSviewer software was used to analyze the knowledge structure and visualize co-occurrence, co-authorship, and co-citation networks. A qualitative sample review was conducted to extract spatial and functional indicators. The results indicated that the number of publications increased steadily between 1999 and 2025, with a marked acceleration observed after 2018. Countries such as China, the United States, and Australia accounted for the largest share of publications. Keyword cluster analysis revealed four major thematic domains: urban climate and health, temperature and remote sensing, urban design and form, and mitigation strategies. In total, 23 influential spatial–functional indicators were identified, among which vegetation cover, impervious surface density, and albedo were found to be the most significant. The findings provide practical recommendations for mitigating urban heat island effects at both local and regional scales, prioritizing urban interventions, and supporting policymakers and urban planners in developing more climate-responsive urban environments.

Keywords

Climate change

Co-Authorship Network

Co-Citation

Co-Occurrence

Urban Heat Island

VOSviewer

Subjects

Urban Studies

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