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Analysis of the Coupling Trend Between the Urban Agglomeration Development and Land Surface Heat Island Effect: A Case Study of Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration, China

Author

Listed:
  • Xiaogang Feng

    (School of Architecture, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China)

  • Fei Li

    (School of Architecture, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China)

  • Sekhar Somenahalli

    (UniSA-STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide 5095, Australia)

  • Yang Zhao

    (School of Architecture, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China)

  • Meng Li

    (School of Architecture, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China)

  • Zaihui Zhou

    (School of Architecture, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China)

  • Fengxia Li

    (School of Architecture, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China)

Abstract

The exploration of the coupling trend between urban agglomeration development (UAD) and land surface temperature (LST) expansion is of great significance, and it is of scientific value for the regulation of the thermal environment of urban agglomerations, the optimization of urban spatial planning, and the achievement of sustainable urban development. This study employs an array of remote sensing datasets from multiple sources—employing a multi-faceted approach encompassing an overall coupling situation analysis model, a coordination and evaluation system, a geographically weighted spatial autocorrelation algorithm, and landscape pattern quantification indicators—to explore the mutual feedback mechanism and spatial coupling characterization of LST and UAD in the Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration (GZPUA). The results of the study can provide data support for urban spatial planning and thermal environment regulation. The results indicate the following findings: (1) In the GZPUA, the nighttime light (NTL) and land surface temperature (LST) centroids show a significant tendency toward approaching one another, with a spatial offset decreasing from 45.0 km to 9.1 km at the end, indicating a strengthening trend in the photothermal system’s coupling synergy. (2) The coordination of light and heat in the study area exhibits significant non-equilibrium development, with a dynamic trend of urban development space shifting towards the southwest. It confirms the typical regional response law of rapid urbanization. (3) The Moran’s I index of the photothermal system in the study area increased from 0.289 to 0.335, an increase of 15.9%. The proportion of “high–high” (H-H)/“low–low” (L-L)-type regions with clustering distribution of cold and hot spots reaches 58.01%, and their spatial continuity characteristics are significantly enhanced, indicating a significant trend of spatial structural integration between urban heat island effect and construction land expansion.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaogang Feng & Fei Li & Sekhar Somenahalli & Yang Zhao & Meng Li & Zaihui Zhou & Fengxia Li, 2025. "Analysis of the Coupling Trend Between the Urban Agglomeration Development and Land Surface Heat Island Effect: A Case Study of Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-21, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:12:p:5239-:d:1673297
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Prachi Jhamb & Susana Ferreira & Patrick Stephens & Mekala Sundaram & Jonathan Wilson, 2025. "Shedding light on development: Leveraging the new nightlights data to measure economic progress," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(2), pages 1-19, February.
    2. Chunxia Liu & Yuechen Li, 2018. "Spatio-Temporal Features of Urban Heat Island and Its Relationship with Land Use/Cover in Mountainous City: A Case Study in Chongqing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-15, June.
    3. Ying Wang & Yin Ren, 2025. "Cooling Efficiency of Urban Green Spaces Across Functional Zones: Mitigating Heat Island Effects Through Spatial Configuration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-19, March.
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