The Spatial Heterogeneity Impact of Urban Historical Block Morphology on Urban Heat Island——An Insight of Local Climate Zones

The urban heat island (UHI) poses a serious threat to public health. Land Surface Temperature (LST), is a critical indicator for quantifying UHI intensity. However, the study focusing on the relationship between urban morphology and LST in historical urban areas remains a challenge. Taking the historic urban area of Guangzhou as an example, this study selected seven indicators, combined with the Local Climate Zones (LCZs) theory, and used hierarchical clustering method to explore the classification of block morphology of historic urban area. Moreover, multiple linear regression (MLR), geographical detector, and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) methods were employed to reveal the impact of block morphology on LST. The main findings are as follows: 1) LST in the study area exhibited significant spatial clustering characteristics (Moran’s I = 0.39). 2) There were eight types of block morphology in the study area, with 96% dominated by building coverage. 3) High-density low-rise (LCZ3) showed the most substantial impact on LST, followed by medium-density low-rise (LCZ3-II) and high-density mid-rise (LCZ2). 4) Building density (BD) exhibited the greatest overall impact on LST. From an interactional perspective, building height (BH) showed a notably pronounced effect. Moreover, the influence of block morphology indicators on LST demonstrated notable spatial heterogeneity, with local spatial variations in the impacts of BD and BH being more pronounced.