Assessment of Intra-Urban Heat Island in a Densely Populated City Using Remote Sensing: A Case Study for Manila City

Abstract

Changes in the environment occur in cities due to increased urbanization and population growth. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 is intrinsically linked to the environment, one facet of which is the need for universal access to secure, inclusive, and accessible green and public places. As urban heat islands (UHI) have the potential to negatively influence cities and their residents, existing resources and data must be used to identify and quantify these effects. To address this, we present the use of satellite-derived (2013–2022) and meteorological data (2014–2020) to assess intra-urban heat islands in Manila City, Philippines. The assessment includes (a) understanding the temporal variability of air temperature measurements and outdoor thermal comfort based on meteorological data, (b) comparative and correlative analysis between common Land-Use Land Cover indicators (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI)) and Land Surface Temperature (LST), (c) spatial and temporal analysis of LST using spatial statistics techniques, and (d) generation of an intra-urban heat island (IUHI) map with a recommended class of action using a suitability analysis model. Finally, the areas that need intervention are compared to the affected population, and suggestions to enhance the thermal characteristics of the city and mitigate the effects of UHI are established.