A cold island connectivity and network perspective to mitigate the urban heat island effect

Many studies have proposed strategies to mitigate the urban heat island effect from the perspective of landscape patches, yet few studies have mitigated the urban heat island effect from the perspective of cold island connectivity and network. This study proposes a new method (Combined cooling pattern) to connect cold islands: surface (Cooling sources) - line (Networks)- point (Cooling spaces, heating spaces). Initially, the cooling sources are identified by the morphological spatial pattern analysis method and connectivity analysis. Then, to enhance the connectivity of the cooling sources, we applied circuit theory to construct the cooling network and identify the critical nodes. Finally, three levels of cooling strategies are developed. Taking Wuhan as an example, the results show that 27 cooling sources, 58 cooling corridors, 69 cooling spaces and 26 heating spaces are identified. A regional cooling network should be constructed to mitigate the urban heat island effect, and effective cooling measures should be implemented in key node areas. The method adopted can provide new ideas for sustainable urban development and urban climate adaptation planning.