Impact of urban climate landscape patterns on thermal environment in local climate zones of Bhopal City

Abstract

Local Climate Zones (LCZs) exhibit distinct thermal environments, yet their spatial configuration also governs local heat dynamics. This study examines the relationship between LCZ landscape patterns and Land Surface Temperature (LST) in Bhopal, India. The city contains nine LCZ classes, of which compact low-rise (LCZ-3), open low-rise (LCZ-6), and sparsely built (LCZ-9) dominate the urban fabric and show significant thermal variation (ANOVA: F (2,13) = 19.306, p < 0.005). Spatial indices of urban morphology, including patch and edge densities, were strongly correlated with LST across 16 LCZs (r = 0.527 and 0.800, p < 0.05). LCZ-3, marked by high patch and edge densities, recorded the maximum surface temperature (42.9 °C), confirming the thermal burden of dense built-up forms. In contrast, LCZ-9 exhibited irregular morphology, where shape indices (SHAPE_MN and SHAPE_AM) showed significant negative correlations with LST (r = –0.849 and –0.739, p < 0.05). Further validation across three urban form typologies of Bhopal’s urban developed area revealed significant differences in thermal response among spatial typologies (ANOVA: F = 4.17, p = 0.002). Overall, compact and dense morphologies were associated with elevated LST, while irregular and less compact forms displayed lower thermal intensity. These findings demonstrate the critical influence of spatial patterns on microclimates and highlight the role of climate-sensitive urban planning and built-form regulations in mitigating heat stress.

Keywords

Local climate zone / Landscape metrics / Land Surface Temperature / Urban built morphology

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