Assessing the impact of green spaces on the urban heat island effect

Urban green spaces provide several ecosystem services, such as regulating microclimates and the urban heat island. This study applied the Earth Blox platform alongside the Google Earth Engine to evaluate the effect of urban green spaces on the urban heat island in Harare. The results shows that between 2015 and 2024, built-up area increased at the expense of green spaces that continued to decrease. During the same period, the land surface temperature ranged from 34 to 36.5 °C, with 2019 recording the highest temperatures, which coincided with the period of significant urban expansion. The acreage of green space and land surface temperatures showed an insignificant negative correlation (rs = −0.322; p = 0.364). This suggests that other factors beyond green spaces may influence the thermal variation within the urban environment. In this regard, urban planning must prioritize green spaces in city infrastructural expansion to reduce urban heat island effects and improve urban sustainability and healthier neighbourhoods.