IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i7p1470-d1702088.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Urban Heat Islands and Land-Use Patterns in Zagreb: A Composite Analysis Using Remote Sensing and Spatial Statistics

Author

Listed:
  • Dino Bečić

    (Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia)

  • Mateo Gašparović

    (Chair of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia)

Abstract

Urban heat islands (UHIs) present a growing environmental issue in swiftly urbanizing regions, where impermeable surfaces and a lack of vegetation increase local temperatures. This research analyzes the spatial distribution of urban heat islands in Zagreb, Croatia, utilizing remote sensing data, urban planning metrics, and spatial-statistical analysis. Composite rasters of land surface temperature (LST) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were generated from four cloud-free Landsat 9 images obtained in the summer of 2024. The data were consolidated into regulatory planning units through zonal statistics, facilitating the evaluation of the impact of built-up density and designated green space on surface temperatures. A composite UHI index was developed by combining normalized land surface temperature (LST) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) measurements, while spatial clustering was examined with Local Moran’s I and Getis-Ord Gi*. The results validate spatial patterns of heat intensity, with high temperatures centered in densely built residential areas. This research addresses the gap in past UHI studies by providing a reproducible approach for detecting thermal stress zones, linking satellite data with spatial planning variables. The results support the development of localized climate adaptation methods and highlight the importance of integrating green infrastructure into urban planning methodologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Dino Bečić & Mateo Gašparović, 2025. "Urban Heat Islands and Land-Use Patterns in Zagreb: A Composite Analysis Using Remote Sensing and Spatial Statistics," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-26, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:7:p:1470-:d:1702088
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/7/1470/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/7/1470/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ante Seletković & Martina Kičić & Mario Ančić & Jelena Kolić & Renata Pernar, 2023. "The Urban Heat Island Analysis for the City of Zagreb in the Period 2013–2022 Utilizing Landsat 8 Satellite Imagery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-13, February.
    2. Pauline Schmidt & Bryce T. Lawrence, 2022. "Association between Land Surface Temperature and Green Volume in Bochum, Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-20, November.
    3. Mehmet Cetin & Mehtap Ozenen Kavlak & Muzeyyen Anil Senyel Kurkcuoglu & Gulsah Bilge Ozturk & Saye Nihan Cabuk & Alper Cabuk, 2024. "Determination of land surface temperature and urban heat island effects with remote sensing capabilities: the case of Kayseri, Türkiye," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 120(6), pages 5509-5536, April.
    4. Majda Ćesić & Katarina Rogulj & Andrija Krtalić, 2025. "Combined Thermal Index Development for Urban Heat Island Detection in Area of Split, Croatia," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21, January.
    5. Youpeng Lu & Wenze Yue & Yaping Huang, 2021. "Effects of Land Use on Land Surface Temperature: A Case Study of Wuhan, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-18, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hu, Miao & Bian, Yongtao & Ji, Guangxing, 2025. "Assessing the sustainability of China's coastal regions: A perspective on local coupling and telecoupling," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 501(C).
    2. Jinjian Jiang & Jie Zhang & Peng Cui & Xiaoxue Luo, 2025. "Influence Mechanism of Land Use/Cover Change on Surface Urban Heat Islands and Urban Energy Consumption in Severely Cold Regions," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-32, May.
    3. Ante Seletković & Martina Kičić & Mario Ančić & Jelena Kolić & Renata Pernar, 2023. "The Urban Heat Island Analysis for the City of Zagreb in the Period 2013–2022 Utilizing Landsat 8 Satellite Imagery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-13, February.
    4. Jiang, Yaoyao & Li, Hengkai & Zhang, Zhiwei & Ren, Guogang & Zhang, Jianying, 2025. "Enhancing ecological sustainability in ion-adsorption rare earth mining areas: A multi-scale model for assessing spatiotemporal dynamics and ecological resilience," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 502(C).
    5. Ali Mansouri & Abdolmajid Erfani, 2025. "Machine Learning Prediction of Urban Heat Island Severity in the Midwestern United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-21, July.
    6. Baldi, Lucia & Trentinaglia, Maria Teresa & Thrassou, Alkis & Galati, Antonino, 2025. "Growing green: Exploring the drivers of citizens’ participation in Italian urban and peri-urban forestation governance," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    7. Yaoyun Zhang & Ge Shi & Ziying Feng & Entao Zheng & Chuang Chen & Xinyu Li & Difan Yu & Yunpeng Zhang, 2025. "Study on the Relationship Between 3D Landscape Patterns and Residents’ Comfort in Urban Multi-Unit High-Rise Residential Areas: A Case Study of High-Density Inland City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-32, May.
    8. Jinlong Yan & Chaohui Yin & Zihao An & Bo Mu & Qian Wen & Yingchao Li & Yali Zhang & Weiqiang Chen & Ling Wang & Yang Song, 2023. "The Influence of Urban Form on Land Surface Temperature: A Comprehensive Investigation from 2D Urban Land Use and 3D Buildings," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, September.
    9. Ahmad Fallatah & Ayman Imam, 2023. "Detecting Land Surface Temperature Variations Using Earth Observation at the Holy Sites in Makkah, Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-18, September.
    10. Ya Hui Teo & Mohamed Akbar Bin Humayun Makani & Weimeng Wang & Linglan Liu & Jun Hong Yap & Kang Hao Cheong, 2022. "Urban Heat Island Mitigation: GIS-Based Analysis for a Tropical City Singapore," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-23, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:7:p:1470-:d:1702088. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.