The Framework to Mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect for Improving Environment and Protecting Human Health

Abstract

Changes in temperature and precipitation, sea level, fisheries, agriculture, natural ecosystems, and air quality will all directly or indirectly affect human morbidity (illness) or mortality. One of the great challenges facing our current generation of scientists and engineers is how to protect urban population from health stressors associated with summertime heat. As heat-waves are likely to increase in frequency because of global climate change, the most effective interventions, measures and policies to protect the health need to be developed and evaluated. Therefore, this paper is focused on understanding the most important factors of urban heat island (UHI) formation and their effects on urban population health with an emphasis on the considerable growth of both population and rapid urbanization of Tehran, Iran. To achieve this aim, this paper explores literally a conceptual framework about the relationship between UHI and human health. Then, it suggests three important strategies to minimize the impact of UHI on human health: achieving appropriate transportation for mitigating air pollution, providing appropriate landscape, increasing the albedo of building materials. Keywords: appropriate landscape, appropriate material, appropriate transportation, human health, natural ventilation, urban heat island. INTRODUCTION 1Climate change is a global phenomenon that leaves no part of the world untouched. Everywhere, changes in climate are having observable impacts on both natural and human systems -water resources, ecosystems, food and forest products, coastal systems, industry, settlements and societies, and human health, involving significant social, economic and environmental consequences [1].Climate change presents significant challenges in efforts to maintain and improve the health and well-being of people living around the world. Many of the environmental hazards exert a direct or indirect effect on the health and well-being of urban dwellers. One of the most important hazards which impact on health and quality of life is 'urban heat island'. Urban heat island (UHI) can directly affect health because high temperatures place an added stress on human physiology. UHI will have wide-ranging impacts on society and the infrastructure that support civilization. It could impact not only agricultural and human health, but also patterns of human settlement, energy use, transportation, industry, environmental quality, and other aspect of infrastructure that affect our quality of life [2].According to the above perspective it becomes increasingly important to apply heat island mitigation strategies in order to protect human health from health stressors associated with summer time heat.Thus, this paper investigates that which factors cause UHI formation, especially in Tehran metropolitan, and then by recognizing some factors which have more effects on health, suggests some solutions from urban design perspective in order to have healthy environment.

The influence of air temperature and temperature variability on mental health

“…; 韩京 收稿日期: 2019-12-11 * 教 育 部 人 文 社 会 科 学 研 究 项 目 (青 年 项 目 ) (19YJC 190031); 河 南 省 哲 学 社 会 科 学 规 划 项 目 ( 青 年 项 目 ) (2019CSH022);河南省教育厅人文社会科学一般项目 (2020-ZDJH-412)资助。 通信作者: 赵凤青, E-mail: susanfair@163.com 等, 2017;Shahmohamadi, Che-ani, Maulud, Sairi, & Mohd-nor, 2010;Hayes & Poland, 2018 Gao et al, 2019;Vida, Durocher, Ouarda, & Gosselin, 2012), 这一效应在儿童、青少年、老年人和工人等特定 群 体 中 尤 其 明 显 (Xu, Wheeler, & Zuo, 2018;Cleary, Raeburn, West, & Childs, 2019;Tawatsupa et al, 2010;Sugg, Dixon, & Runkle, 2019) Abstract: More and more researchers are concerned about the threat and impact of temperature and temperature variability on mental health. Temperature and temperature variability has direct or indirect effects on mental health indicators such as emotional well-being, emotional disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, organic mental disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, substance abuse and dependence, suicidal ideation and behavior.…”

Demystifying the urban heat island phenomenon : through high-resolution urban data and machine learning

“…The UHI is a phenomenon where urban areas are hotter than rural areas due to the absorption and re-radiation of heat by buildings, pavements, and other urban infrastructure (Oke, 1982). The UHI effect exacerbates the impacts of heatwaves in urban areas (Wamsler et al, 2013, Bednar-Friedl et al, 2022, leading to health problems (Piracha and Chaudhary, 2022, Shahmohamadi et al, 2011, Tan et al, 2010, increased energy demand (Shahmohamadi et al, 2010, and economic losses (Mills, 2005).…”

“…Similarly, many studies have investigated a myriad of factors and urban features that play a role in the creation and intensification of the UHI (Oke, 1982, Oke, 1973, Stewart and Oke, 2012, Oke, 1988a, Rizwan et al, 2008, Grimmond and Oke, 1999, Susca et al, 2011, Akbari et al, 2009, Mirzaei, 2015, Zhou et al, 2014, Oke et al, 2017, Doulos et al, 2004, Jusuf et al, 2007, Mohajerani et al, 2017, Gunawardena et al, 2017, Li et al, 2018, Harman and Belcher, 2006, Manoli et al, 2019, Shahmohamadi et al, 2010, Takebayashi and Moriyama, 2012, Chakraborty and Lee, 2019, Erell et al, 2012. As shown in Table 2-1, these factors can be summarized in three main categories, namely, environmental, socio-economic, and urban morphology factors.…”