Identifying the key areas and management priorities of the imbalance between supply and demand in urban thermal environment regulation

Ruhong Xin, Jian Zeng*, Kai Li, Zhongjian Shen

*Corresponding author for this work

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    5 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The urban thermal environment effect seriously threatens the safety of human life and the sustainable development of social economy. Identifying the key areas of heat island regulation imbalance between supply and demand is very important to alleviate the urban thermal environment effect. Based on the climate risk assessment framework and the environmental justice framework, this paper constructs an indicator system and technical route for the evaluation of urban thermal environment regulation supply and demand. First, we select hazard sources, exposure, and vulnerability indicators to evaluate the level of urban residents' demand for heat island adjustment. Secondly, we use the heat island adjustment efficiency index to evaluate the supply capacity of green infrastructure to heat island adjustment. Finally, we apply the supply-demand matching and priority index to identify the key areas of supply-demand imbalance, and to divide the priority level of intervention. Xiamen Island is taken as an example. The results show that: (1) There is obvious spatial heterogeneity among the urban thermal environment hazards, exposure and vulnerability; the three indicators jointly determine the level of demand. The high-demand area accounting for 29.13%, it also presents the characteristics of the spatial pattern of "dispersion in the whole area and dense in the area". (2) The unevenly distributed green infrastructure space leads to the imbalance of urban thermal environment regulation and supply capacity. The high-value area includes 155 units, accounting for 13.2%, and the low-value area includes 857 units, accounting for 72.9%, and there is a spatial agglomeration opposite to the demand level of heat island regulation. (3) The supply-demand relationship of urban thermal environment adjustment services has four types: "high supply-high demand", "low supply-high demand", "low supply-low demand" and "high supply-low demand", of which 451 units are in an imbalanced state of "low supply-high demand", and they face the severe challenge of short supply. (4) A total of 84 units with high priority are mainly distributed in Malong Community, Jiangcun Community, Yuhou Community and Lujiang Community, which should be given top-level regulation. This article can provide a scientific basis for efficient site selection and targeted formulation of urban thermal environment mitigation strategies. The index system and technical route constructed are applicable to other cities.

    Original languageEnglish
    JournalDili Yanjiu
    Volume41
    Issue number11
    Pages (from-to)3124-3142
    ISSN1000-0585
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2022

    Bibliographical note

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    Keywords

    • ecosystem services
    • priority
    • supply and demand imbalance
    • urban thermal environment
    • Xiamen Island

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