Urban Parks and their Cooling Potential: Evaluating how Park Characteristics Affects Land Surface Temperature

Abstract. Urbanization significantly alters city landscapes, exacerbating the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, where cities experience significantly higher temperatures compared to their rural surroundings due to impervious surfaces and heat emissions. As cities expand, mitigating UHI and improving urban thermal comfort becomes critical. Urban parks play a key role in cooling cities, typically being 1–2°C cooler than surrounding areas, with temperature differences of up to 7°C. This study evaluates the cooling potential of seven urban parks in Kolkata, India, using Landsat 8 for Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Sentinel 2 for vegetation mapping. The study assessed Park Cooling Intensity (PCI) along with related metrics such as Cooling Range & Temperature Drop Amplitude.It also examines how internal park characteristics, including vegetation density, impervious surface fraction, water bodies, & tree height, influence LST. Results show PCI ranges from 0.75–6.84°C, with an average temperature reduction of 2.87°C in park surroundings. Factors like tree height and water bodies enhance PCI, while a negative correlation exists between PCI and park area, suggesting that park size alone does not maximize cooling benefits. Vegetation density and water features are crucial for optimizing PCI, indicating that well-designed park features are more important than park size for UHI mitigation. These findings guide urban planners and policymakers in designing parks that maximize cooling effects, reduce UHI, and enhance urban climate resilience. Strategic planning of park elements can foster healthier, more sustainable cities capable of adapting to climate change and rapid urbanization.