Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity and the Mitigating Role of Vegetation in the Mountain–Valley Urban Space of Khorramabad

Beiranvand, Amirreza; Mirzaei,, Enayat; Hasanpour, Atta

doi:10.48306/juem.2026.574437.1144

Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity and the Mitigating Role of Vegetation in the Mountain–Valley Urban Space of Khorramabad

Authors

Amirreza Beiranvand ¹

Enayat Mirzaei, ²

Atta Hasanpour ³

¹ M.Sc. in Urban Design, Lorestan Province Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization, Khorramabad, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.

³ Ph.D. in Archaeology, Lorestan Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization, Khorramabad, Iran.

10.48306/juem.2026.574437.1144

Abstract

In valley‑mountainous cities, differences in solar radiation and ventilation can modify the classic “hot core” pattern and create heat foci along the margins. This study examines the spatial pattern of the Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) in Khorramabad from 16 Mehr to 16 Aban 1404 (7 October to 6 November 2025) and assesses vegetation's role in moderating land surface temperature (LST). LST was derived from Landsat‑8/9 imagery using a single‑channel algorithm with ERA5 atmospheric parameters. NDVI was calculated from Sentinel‑2 images and resampled to 30‑meter resolution. SUHI was computed as the difference between urban LST and the mean LST of peripheral reference areas, redefined with constraints on elevation, slope, and aspect. Results indicated 27.15% of the urban area in the “neutral” class and 4.82% in the “very hot” class, while 50.61% is cold to cool. Very hot hotspots are concentrated in southern margins (airport, 184th brigade, oil depot, barren lands) and the eastern belt (Mehr Housing to Azad University). Cool islands appear around Kio Lake, along Khorramrud River, and in some central neighborhoods. A strong inverse LST‑NDVI relationship (r = –0.82; R² = 0.71; p < 0.001) revealed that each 0.1‑unit increase in NDVI reduces LST by 2.86°C on average. Based on these findings, low‑cost strategies are proposed: protecting intra‑valley green patches, strengthening the green‑blue network along the river and lake, creating green belts in sensitive margins, restricting construction on steep slopes, and preserving valley‑oriented ventilation corridors to alleviate thermal stress.

Keywords

Surface Urban Heat Island

Land Surface Temperature

NDVI

Valley‑Mountainous City

Khorramabad

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