Assessing the Cooling Impact of Urban Green Spaces in Birmingham, UK: A Spatial Analysis of Urban Heat Island (UHI) Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Normalized Difference vegetation index NDVI

Abstract

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon, a significant growing manifestation of increase in anthropogenic climate modification, presents a growing challenge to urban resilience and public health. The thesis undertakes an interdisciplinary analysis of the urban heat island in Birmingham, UK, structured around the risk equation (Risk = Hazard x Exposure x Vulnerability). It aims to bridge and cover the gap between UHI mitigation and vulnerability studies by assessing the relationship between heat exposure, the mitigating capacity of green space, and socio-economic deprivation. Through leveraging the computational power of Google Earth Engine and a time series of Landsat 8 satellite imagery, this study conducts a comparative analysis between the summers of 2020 and 2024, a period showcasing major urban redevelopment. A robust, multi step process is employed to derive Land Surface Temperature (LST), which quantifies the hazard. Exposure is then assessed by mapping areas of intense surface heat. Vulnerability is integrated by overlaying these thermal maps. The findings reveal a pronounced and persistent heat island effect in Birmingham, with a strong negative correlation between LST and vegetation (NDVI). Crucially, the analysis demonstrates a disproportionate concentration of the most intense heat zones within the most deprived areas of the city. The temporal comparison further identifies significant heat island intensification in zones of recent development, such as Perry Barr. By placing UHI not just as a physical scenario but as a socio-environmental risk, this research would provide critical evidence for policymakers to create a more climate adaptation and mitigation strategies for Birmingham City. This study is original in harmoniously combining satellite-based hazard estimation and socio-economic vulnerability mapping within a coherent risk framework to yield one of the first temporal comparisons of UHI intensification in Birmingham across a phase of large-scale urban redevelopment. Through the bridging of both environment and society aspects, it presents new climate justice and adaptation planning insights at a municipal level