A remote sensing analysis of residential land use, forest canopy distribution, and surface heat island formation in the Atlanta metropolitan region (Georgia)

The purpose of this dissertation research is to quantify the influence of alternative residential development patterns on surface heat island formation within the Atlanta metropolitan region. Characterized by a tendency for urban centers to exhibit higher surface and air temperatures than adjacent rural areas, the urban heat island effects holds significant implications for air quality, energy consumption, and human health within large metropolitan regions.; With the aid of very high spatial resolution thermal data obtained from the National Aeronautical and Space Administration and parcel boundary dataset, the dissertation derives a parcel-based measure of surface heat island formation for approximately 105,000 single-family residential parcels in the Atlanta metropolitan region. A series of path models is developed to quantify the influence of six parcel design attributes on the excess flux of radiant energy, or net thermal emissions. The parcel attributes incorporated into the model include the year of parcel construction, the housing capacity of the residential structure, the area of impervious materials, the area of lawn and landscaping, the percentage of the parcel overlaid by tree canopy, and a measure of street network configuration. The results of the analysis provide evidence to support three conclusions: (1) the parcel area occupied by lawn and landscaping is positively associated with net thermal emissions; (2) the parcel area occupied by the house and driveway is positively associated with net thermal emissions; (3) the proportion of the parcel overlaid by tree canopy is negatively associated with net thermal emissions.; The study concludes that a modification of zoning regulations to reduce the lawn area of new construction and a strengthening of regional tree ordinances to increase the tree canopy cover of both new and existing residential parcels provide the most effective approaches to mitigating surface heat island formation within the Atlanta metropolitan region. A policy matrix is presented to provide regional decision makers a framework with which to assess the potential influence of various planning policies on parcel net thermal emissions.