Quantifying the impact of building material stock and green infrastructure on urban heat island intensity
Yi Bao, Zhou Huang, Ganmin Yin, Shuliang Ren, Xiaoqin Yan, Junnan Qi
Abstract
The urban heat island (UHI) effect has become one of the most critical environmental consequences of urbanization, fundamentally linked to the accumulation of building material stocks and modification of natural surfaces. This study develops a comprehensive quantitative framework to analyze the combined effects of building material stock and green infrastructure on UHI intensity in Beijing, China. Using remote sensing data and interpretable machine learning approaches, particularly partial dependence analysis, we reveal the nonlinear relationships and interaction effects between urban physical characteristics and UHI intensity. The results identify a critical threshold of brick material stock at approximately 3 × 1 0 8 tons, beyond which UHI intensity increases sharply. Our findings advance the understanding of urban thermal environment regulation by quantifying both the individual and interactive effects of material stocks and green infrastructure, providing insights for optimizing urban heat mitigation strategies.