Land use transformation and urban heat dynamics in India’s world heritage cities Jaipur and Ahmedabad

The rapid growth of cities as a result of urbanization has caused immense changes to land-use/land-cover (LU/LC) patterns and urban thermal environments within Indian cities, especially in semi-arid regions. Urban growth dramatically affects World Heritage Cities (WHC) designated by UNESCO and has the potential to negatively affect environmental sustainability and the conservation of cultural heritage. Thus, this study presents a structured comparative narrative review of LU/LC transformation and urban heat dynamics in Jaipur and Ahmedabad, India. Literature published between 2000 and 2025 was identified from major scientific literature databases and used in a comparative synthesis of urban growth patterns, research methodology, and environmental consequences. The results of the review indicate considerable growth of built-up areas of each city at the expense of agricultural land, vegetation, and open spaces. Ahmedabad had greater than 130% growth of built-up area from 1990 to 2019 while Jaipur experienced considerable directional urban expansion and increased land surface temperatures (LST). Most of the studies utilized remote sensing and GIS methods using Landsat and IRS data sets; the study of Ahmedabad represented a greater methodological advancement through use of CA-Markov and ANN urban growth model methodologies than that of Jaipur which was mostly retrospective, with few predictive modeling studies. Results of the study reveal that there is a strong connection between land use/land cover changes and the heat dynamics of an urban area, resulting in increased thermal stress, more vulnerable(e.g.) to climate change; and There will be growing pressures on these cities to sustain their cultural and architectural heritage (including all things associated with the built environment). Consequently, climate resilient and heritage sensitive urban planning strategies must be implemented in semi-arid World Heritage Cities of India.