Urban Risk Maps Associated with the Heat Island Phenomenon in the Metropolitan Area of Córdoba

The phenomenon and the consequences of the Urban Heat Islands (UHI) in recent years are issues of great importance and transcendence within the studies of urban resilience and habitability. UHIs increase energy consumption, atmospheric, thermal, water, and soil pollution, reducing the life quality of the urban population. For the reasons mentioned above, the mitigation of UHI and the development of adaptation strategies are priorities in every city on the planet. At present, the studies that have been carried out in Córdoba regarding UHIs have focused on characterizing urban temperature changes, without taking into account that the impacts and risks of the ICU are not evenly distributed among the urban population. Using the information available from the 2010 National Population Census, in combination with the Urban thermal field variance index derived from high-resolution thermal satellite images, this study proposed a characterization of the social and environmental vulnerability of the urban population, concerning the hazard of Urban Heat Islands. As a result, risk maps from the Metropolitan Area of Córdoba will be presented, which are essential analysis and management tools to identify priority areas to improve the life quality of the inhabitants and prevent future risk situations, as well as the generation of sustainable urban development strategies.