Urban heat island and fringe belt interaction: The role of the urban fringe in heat island mitigation

Gülnihal Kurt Kayalı; Büşra Gülbahar İşlek; Tuğba Akın; Tolga Ünlü; Tülin Selvi Ünlü

doi:10.47818/DRArch.2025.v6i2171

Urban heat island and fringe belt interaction: The role of the urban fringe in heat island mitigation

Authors

Gülnihal Kurt Kayalı Short Bio Cukurova University

Gülnihal Kurt Kayalı is a landscape architect and researcher with a focus on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and ecological landscape planning. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in landscape architecture from Çukurova University, where she is currently continuing her doctoral studies. Her academic path has been shaped by an interest in understanding the interaction between urban development and natural systems, and by exploring methods that can contribute to more sustainable and resilient urban environments. Her research covers topics such as ecological networks, habitat connectivity, and urban resilience, with particular attention to how spatial data and landscape metrics can inform planning decisions. She has contributed to different research projects and has presented her studies in national and international academic settings. These experiences have supported her interest in applying interdisciplinary approaches and technology-based methods to issues of urban and environmental sustainability. She continues her academic work with the aim of combining scientific analysis and practical perspectives to support more balanced relationships between cities and natural landscapes.
Büşra Gülbahar İşlek Short Bio Cukurova University

Büşra Gülbahar İşlek is studying at Çukurova University's Geographic Information Systems Doctoral Program. She completed her undergraduate education in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Middle East Technical University and her master's degree in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Mersin University with a thesis titled “The Impact of Sea Level Rise on Coastal Areas: The Case of Mersin.” The researches are focused on the climate crisis, urban flood planning, and urban morphology. She is a researcher intern in TÜBİTAK-funded projects and presents her academic work on various platforms.
Tuğba Akın Short Bio Çukurova University

Tuğba Akin is a Ph.D. candidate in Landscape Architecture at the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Çukurova University, Turkey. She completed her undergraduate studies in Landscape Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture, Süleyman Demirel University in 2018, and received her M.Sc. degree in Landscape Architecture from the same university in 2020. Her research focuses on climate change, land degradation, sustainable landscape planning, urban open and green space policies, ecotourism, cultural heritage, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) applications, and machine learning–based analyses. She has presented papers at national and international conferences and published articles and book chapters contributing to the fields of landscape architecture, spatial planning, and sustainability. Her academic work particularly emphasizes the role of local identity, spatial design, and ecotourism potential in rural settlements, with a broader aim of integrating environmental sustainability and technological innovation into landscape planning and management practices.
Tolga Ünlü Short Bio Çukurova University

Tolga Ünlü is Professor of Urban Morphology and Urban Planning, and the head of the Department of City and Regional Planning at Çukurova University, Turkey. He has been undertaking the role of Secretary General of International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF) since 2021 and had a founding role in inauguration of Turkish Network of Urban Morphology (TNUM) in 2014. He has been a colleague in both Urban Morphology Research Group (UMRG) since 2012 and International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF) since 2009. His research is focused on urban morphology, urban design and planning practice with a particular attention on urban growth and development of fringe belts, and on the relationship between research and practice in urban morphology and planning. Had published in national and international journals, contributing both theoretical and practical insights into urban form, morphological processes, and the planning history of Turkish cities, and has authored and edited several books on urban transformation, and planning practices in the Eastern Mediterranean context.
Tülin Selvi Ünlü Short Bio Çukurova University

Tülin Selvi Ünlü is Associate Professor of Urban History and Urban Planning at the Department of City and Regional Planning at Çukurova University, Turkey since 2020. Before then, she studied as a researcher at the Centre for Mediterranean Urban Studies at Mersin University, from 2001 to 2020. Her research is focused on Mediterranean port cities, urban history, urban memory and oral history. Had published in national and international journals, contributing both theoretical and practical insights into urban memory and development of Mediterranean port cities. She has authored and edited several books on Mediterranean port cities and urban memory, including ‘Eastern Mediterranean Port Cities: A Study of Mersin, Turkey—From Antiquity to Modernity’ and ‘Mediterranean Port Cities Connectivity in Modern Times’.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47818/DRArch.2025.v6i2171

Keywords:

fringe belt, urban heat island, remote sensing, land surface temperature, google earth engine

Abstract

Fringe Belt (FB) areas are transition zones located between successive areas of urban development. They are typically characterized by open spaces, industrial and institutional areas, and low-density residential areas. An Urban Heat Island (UHI) is a microclimate phenomenon caused by urbanization, characterized by higher surface temperatures in city centers compared to the surrounding area. The primary factors exacerbating the UHI effect are dense development, reduced green spaces and the heat-retaining properties of surface materials. FB areas can mitigate the UHI effect by limiting heat accumulation due to their relatively natural and permeable surfaces. This study aims to analyze temporal changes in FB areas and evaluate their impact on the UHI effect. For this purpose, Landsat satellite images from 1985, 2000 and 2025 were processed using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform to obtain land surface temperature (LST) values and map UHI distribution alongside delineation of fringe-belt plots. The results indicate that the UHI effect is relatively low in areas where fringe belts are preserved or minimally developed. Additionally, it was observed that the UHI effect increases as these areas become more developed over time. The study reveals that fringe-belt areas can play an important role in reducing the UHI effect, suggesting that these areas should be integrated into urban planning as cooling buffers. The study emphasizes the necessity of climate-focused approaches in urban planning and suggests evaluating fringe belts as potential microclimatic mitigation areas.

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Published

2025-08-30

How to Cite

Gülnihal Kurt Kayalı, İşlek, B. G., Akın, T., Ünlü, T., & Selvi Ünlü, T. (2025). Urban heat island and fringe belt interaction: The role of the urban fringe in heat island mitigation. Journal of Design for Resilience in Architecture and Planning, 6(2), 336–356. https://doi.org/10.47818/DRArch.2025.v6i2171