AUTHOR=MacLachlan Andrew , Biggs Eloise , Roberts Gareth , Boruff Bryan 

TITLE=Sustainable City Planning: A Data-Driven Approach for Mitigating Urban Heat

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Built Environment

VOLUME=Volume 6 - 2020

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/built-environment/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2020.519599

DOI=10.3389/fbuil.2020.519599

ISSN=2297-3362

ABSTRACT=Urban areas are expected to triple by 2030 in order to accommodate 60% of the global population. Anthropogenic landscape modifications expand coverage of impervious surfaces inducing the urban heat island effect; a critical 21st century challenge associated with increased economic expenditure, energy consumption and adverse health impacts. Yet omission of UHI measures from global climate models and metropolitan planning methodologies precludes effective sustainable development governance. We present an approach which integrates Earth observation and climate data with three-dimensional urban models to determine optimal tree placement (per m2) within proposed urban developments to enable more effective localised UHI mitigation. Such data-driven planning decisions will enhance the future sustainability of our cities to align with current global urban development agendas.