Exploring Urban Heat Islands: A Special Issue on the Environmental Impacts and Root Causes

Dear Colleagues,

Urban heat islands (UHIs) represent a critical challenge for sustainable urban development as they contribute to increased energy consumption, poor air quality, and negative health outcomes. This Special Issue aims to comprehensively understand the environmental effects and causes of heat islands, enabling researchers, policymakers, and urban planners to develop effective mitigation strategies.

The focus of this Special Issue is to delve into the complex interplay of factors that contribute to the formation and persistence of urban heat islands. The Special Issue will explore various aspects of UHIs, including the roles of urban surfaces and materials, reduced vegetation and green spaces, anthropogenic heat generation, and altered wind patterns in urban environments. By examining the mechanisms underlying UHIs, this Special Issue seeks to provide valuable insights into potential solutions for mitigating their environmental and health impacts.

The scope of the Special Issue encompasses a wide range of topics related to UHIs, including but not limited to the following:

- The physical and meteorological processes that drive UHI formation and intensity;

- The impacts of UHIs on energy consumption, air quality, and public health;

- The role of urban planning and design in exacerbating or mitigating UHI effects;

- The effectiveness of various strategies, such as green infrastructure, cool roofs, and urban forestry, in reducing UHI-related risks;

- The influence of climate change on the frequency and intensity of UHIs;

- Socioeconomic disparities and the unequal distribution of UHI-related vulnerabilities;

- The potential for technological innovations to address UHI challenges.

This Special Issue will feature original research articles, review articles, case studies, and policy analyses that provide a multidisciplinary perspective on UHIs and their environmental implications.

By fostering dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, the Issue aims to promote the development and implementation of innovative solutions for mitigating the adverse consequences of UHIs. This Special Issue seeks to inspire further research and action in addressing the complex issue of urban heat islands and their impacts on urban environments and human well-being by highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary research and collaboration.

Dr. Md Golam Rabbani Fahad
Dr. Maryam Karimi
Dr. Samain Sabrin
Dr. Md Mahfuzer Rahman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Urban Science is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• urban heat island
• climate change
• heat stress
• sustainable urban development
• geospatial assessment
• resiliency, vulnerability
• machine learning, big data analytics
• heat-related illness and mortality
• built environment
• green infrastructure and nature-based solutions