LAND-USE PLANNING AND THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Jun-Pill Kim, M.C.R.P. Graduate Program in City and Regional Planning THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY 2009 Dissertation Committee: Jean-Michel Guldmann, Advisor Carolyn J. Merry Philip A. Viton i Copyright by Jun-Pill Kim 2009 ii ABSTRACT Local climate changes due to urbanization have been well documented. These changes are epitomized by the concept of the “Urban Heat Island” (UHI), which represents temperature differences between urban and rural areas. In urban areas, the UHI effect is a critical factor for air quality and public health. It results in higher peak energy demand because of the use of air conditioning in Summer. Higher temperatures increase health risks to city dwellers, because increased air temperatures are associated with secondary air pollutants, such as ozone (O3). Recent research on the UHI, including theoretical models and statistical analyses, has resulted in a better understanding of climate modifications in urban areas. The purpose of this research is to further develop statistical models of local temperature changes, using Landsat-5 satellite remote-sensing data. The temperature at any location and for any land use is modeled as a function of the pattern of land uses around this location. These models are estimated with data pertaining to the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan area (CMA). Their applicability to land-use planning and regulation is illustrated by simulating hypothetical land-use changes in part of the CMA, and computing the resulting temperature effects. The results clearly demonstrate that it is possible to reduce temperatures in residential and urban areas through a judicious siting of green areas. ii Dedicated to my parents and my brother, my daughter and son, and my wife, Na-Yun Kim iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writing of a dissertation is obviously not possible without the personal and practical support of numerous people. Thus, my sincere gratitude goes to my parents, my family, all my friends, and professors at The Ohio State University for their love, support, and patience over the last few years. First and foremost, I wish to express my deep appreciation to my adviser, Professor Jean-Michel Guldmann, for his guidance and inspiration in completing this dissertation. His encouragements and careful guidance will never be forgotten. He always read and responded to the drafts of each chapter of my work more quickly than I could have hoped. In the same vein, I want to thank Professor Philip A. Viton for his support and encouragement on my research. I would like to thank Professor Carolyn J. Merry for her valuable instruction in data processing and precise comments. She has always been with me whenever I needed her help. I would also like to thank Professor Jennifer-Evans Cowley for giving me the opportunity to work with her on the Hurricane Katrina rehabilitation project. I would like to recognize the endless support of my parents. They always believe in and encourage what I do. I would like to thank my daughter, MiRi, and son, Song-Joo, for providing me pleasure whenever I was discouraged. Finally, these acknowledgements iv would not be complete without heartfelt thanks to my wife, Na-Yun Kim, who supported me in everything. I would not have completed my Ph.D. program without her support. v VITA February, 1997………………………………B.S. Environmental Engineering, The KwangWoon University, Republic of Korea August, 1999………………………………..M.E. Environmental Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania December, 2002…………………………….M.S. Civil Engineering (Remote Sensing), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio January, 2003 – June, 2003…………………Graduate Research Associate, Agricultural, Environmental & Development Economics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio January, 2004 – December, 2005…………...Internship in the Auditor’s Office of Delaware County August, 2006………………………………...M.C.R.P, City and Regional Planning, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio April, 2008 – March, 2009………………….Graduate Research Associate, City and Regional Planning, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio vi FIELD OF STUDY Major Fields: City and Regional Planning Minor Fields: Land Use, Urban Heat Island, Remotely Sensed Data, Geographic Information System, Quantitative Methods. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. II ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ IV VITA ................................................................................................................ VI TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... VIII LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... XII LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... XXI CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 5 2.1 OVERVIEW OF THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND (UHI) ............................... 5 2.2 BASIC THERMODYNAMICS OF THE UHI............................................... 8 2.3 THE NATURE OF THE UHI. ...................................................................... 13 2.4 RESEARCH ON THE UHI. ......................................................................... 17 2.5 THE NEED FOR A NEW APPROACH TO UHI MODELING. ................ 29 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 30 3.1. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURE. .......................... 30 3.2. LANDSAT-5 GRID - BASED APPROACH. .............................................. 35 3.2.1. TEMPERATURES UNDER CALM (NO-WIND) CONDITIONS. .... 38 3.2.2. TEMPERATURES UNDER WIND CONDITIONS. .......................... 42 viii CHAPTER 4 DATA SOURCES AND PROCESSING .................................................. 45 4.1. DATA SOURCES. ....................................................................................... 45 4.2. TEMPERATURE AND LAND-USE DATA ANALYSIS. ......................... 52 4.3. MEASURED AND ESTIMATED TEMPERATURES. .............................. 62 CHAPTER 5 EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS ................................................................. 68 5.1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF COLUMBUS, OHIO. ............................... 68 5.1.1. CLIMATE. ............................................................................................ 68 5.1.2. POPULATION. .................................................................................... 75 5.2. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NDVI AND TEMPERATURE. .................. 76 5.2.1. DESCRIPTION OF THE NDVI. .......................................................... 76 5.2.2. BASIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NDVI AND REMOTELY- SENSED TEMPERATURE (RST). ..................................................... 81 5.2.3. LAND-USE SPECIFIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NDVI AND REMOTELY-SENSED TEMPERATURES (RST). ............................ 85 CHAPTER 6 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS.................................................................... 92 6.1. NO-WIND-EFFECT ANALYSIS. ............................................................... 92 6.1.1. LAND-USE NDVI MODELS IN THE NO-WIND-EFFECT CASE. 97 6.1.1.1. MODELS FOR AUGUST 1, 2005. .......................................... 99 6.1.1.2. NDVI MODELS ACROSS THE YEAR 2005 - 2006. ........... 107 6.1.2. LAND-USE AREA MODELS IN THE NO-WIND-EFFECT CASE. .... ................................................................................................. 111 6.1.2.1. MODELS FOR AUGUST 1, 2005. ........................................ 113 ix 6.1.2.2. AREA MODELS ACROSS THE YEAR 2005-2006. ............ 120 6.1.3. MODEL COMPARISON IN THE NO-WIND-EFFECT CASE. ...... 122 6.2. WIND-EFFECT ANALYSIS. .................................................................... 125 6.2.1. LAND-USE NDVI MODELS. ........................................................... 125 6.2.2. LAND-USE AREA MODELS. .......................................................... 144 6.2.3. MODEL COMPARISON IN THE WIND-EFFECT CASE FOR FEBRUARY 25, 2006. ....................................................................... 160 6.2.4. ALTERNATIVE UPWIND AND DOWNWIND CONFIGURATIONS. ................................................................................................. 162 6.3. SUMMARY. ............................................................................................... 164 CHAPTER 7 APPLICATION OF THE MODEL ......................................................... 168 7.1. OVERVIEW. .............................................................................................. 168 7.2. IMPACT ANALYSIS ................................................................................. 171 7.2.1. THE PILOT TEST AREA. ................................................................. 171 7.2.2. MODIFICATION OF CURRENT LAND USES............................... 176 CHAPTER 8 CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................... 188 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..........................................................................................................