Urban heat island effect in the context of architecture and disaster management: A systematic bibliometric review

Urban heat island (UHI), one of the critical consequences of climate change, represent a significant environmental challenge arising from physical interventions during urbanisation. Unplanned and dense urban development, the extensive use of heat-retaining construction materials, and a lack of green spaces intensify this phenomenon, increasing cities’ vulnerability to heatwaves. In this context, examining research on UHI and evaluating it from a disaster management perspective is essential for developing a more comprehensive approach. This study systematically analyses existing architectural research on UHI through bibliometric methods and explores their links with disaster management. It also identifies data, research limitations, methodological approaches, and potential areas for further development. The findings indicate that UHI research within architecture has been addressed within a relatively narrow scope, with most studies focusing on the mitigation and preparedness phases of disaster management. In contrast, studies concerning the immediate post-disaster emergency response phase, which begins immediately after the disaster and aims to rapidly reduce short-term impacts, remain limited. The final section presents strategic recommendations to enhance the response phase in architecture. This innovative research, by relating UHI to disaster management, contributes to the understanding of architectural studies, highlights gaps in the literature, and lays a foundation for future investigations. Practical Application The limited research on the urban heat island effect which are increases cities vulnerability to heatwaves and its insufficient integration into disaster management shows significant gap in the field. This article reviews the current data, existing limitations, research approaches connection among the disaster management and urban heat island, and offers recommendations for potential developments. The study is carries big important for supporting future research on the heat island phenomenon by designers, engineers, climate scientists, and academics.