Investigating factors impacting urban heat vulnerability in subtropical cities

Overview

In recent years, with the rise in climate change impact, urban heat has become a major issue for many cities to tackle consequently. Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, which has directly caused a substantial increase in heat-related morbidity and mortality. This indispensably puts an extra burden on medical systems and national finance. Meanwhile, the urban heat island effect has been exaggerating the consequences caused by the increased extreme heat in metropolitan areas. Hence, it is urgent for local governments to locate the harmful heat and identify the characteristics of vulnerable populations.

References

Li, F., Yigitcanlar, T., Nepal, M., Thanh, K., & Dur, F. (2022). Understanding Urban Heat Vulnerability Assessment Methods: A PRISMA Review.Energies 15(19), 6998

Li, F., Yigitcanlar, T., Nepal, M., Nguyen, K., & Dur, F. (2023). Machine Learning and Remote Sensing Integration for Leveraging Urban Sustainability: A Review and Framework. Sustainable Cities and Society, 96, 104653.

Research activities

This project will investigate what and how the key indicators are impacting urban heat vulnerability, particularly in subtropical cities. As part of the research project, you will undertake the following tasks (through desktop research by utilising web-scraping techniques):

• investigate and collect heat-related indicators that significantly impact urban heat vulnerability
• categorise collected indicators into appropriate groups, e.g., economy, society, environment
• investigate corresponding data proxies to the indicators
• analyse how the key indicators impact urban heat vulnerability
• present the findings in a concise report and poster format

Outcomes

The outcomes of this work will include:

• a concise project report on what are the key indicators impacting urban heat vulnerability
• a digital poster presenting methodology and key study finding

Skills and experience

• data collection skills
• analytical ability
• problem-solving skills
• adequate methodological background
• broad understanding of urban climate
• skills in graphic design or photo editing software
• excellent written and verbal communication skills
• ambition to complete a research project within a given time frame

Keywords

• urban heat vulnerability
• climate change
• urban climate
• urban heat
• heat exposure
• extreme heatwaves
• heat risk
• urban sustainability
• urban heat island
• urban planning
• urban resilience
• sustainable urban development

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