Urban Heat Island Mitigation: A GIS Based Analysis of Cool Roofing, Canopy Cover, and Imperviousness in Rochester, New York

Urban Heat Islands (UHI’s) pose an increasing risk to public and environmental health. This phenomenon of heightened temperatures occurs in developed cities around the world, largely due to anthropogenic changes in the landscape. This study investigates the interactions of two UHI mitigation strategies, cool roofing, and altering vegetation cover and impervious surfaces, within the city of Rochester, New York. Using Landsat 9 band 10 imagery and land cover data, surface temperature patterns were analyzed in relation to roof color, imperviousness, and canopy cover across the neighborhoods within the city. GIS based statistical analyses were utilized to predict temperature changes resulting from increases in canopy cover, imperviousness, and roof color along with decreases in the same categories. Results indicate that an increase in canopy cover of 10% reduces temperature by an average of 2.5 °C, while an increase in imperviousness of 10% increases temperatures by an average of 1.87 °C. Cool roofs showed a potential decrease in temperature of 0.5 °C, although this was dependent on the specific neighborhood where cool roofs were implemented. Despite being influenced by satellite resolution and roof sample size limitations, this study provides important insights into the relationship between surface temperature and land cover on a city wide basis.