Reconceptualizing urban heat island: Beyond the urban-rural dichotomy

• Technical and practical inadequacy of the UHI concept critically reviewed. Proposed a novel system-based paradigm for re-conceptualized studies. Implications to urban planning policy making discussed. Past decades have seen drastically increasing research effort progress on study phenomenon heat island (UHI). Despite its simplicity, this convenient has promoted significant advances in scientific processes environmental community. Nevertheless, oversimplification urban-rural dichotomy, inherited concept, is increasingly manifest today continuously urbanized world. In study, we conduct holistic in-depth survey dichotomy intrinsic definition UHI, from theoretical, technical, perspectives. addition, light recent advances, urge radically reconceptualize by proposing treating total environment as complex dynamic system. The new framework broadens frontier conventional utilizing advanced techniques systems data sciences, including network theory, machine learning techniques, causal inference, etc. reconceptualization also expected foster decision planning, avoid one-sidedness singular often too exclusive aim mitigation.