assessing thevalue ofurbangreen spaces inmitigatingmulti-seasonalurban heat usingmodisland surfacetemperature (lst) andlandsat 8 data

urban growth and associated landscape transformation has been a major driver of local, regionaland global environmental change. the conversion of urban greenery to impervious landscapes has been identifiedas a key factor influencing the distinctive urban heat and associated consequences. due to the often highdemand for space in urban areas, creation and preservation of urban greenery as heat sinks is commonlyperceived as “a waste of space”. consequently, there is an increasing need for creation and preservation ofsuch spaces. this study sought to quantify multi-seasonal heat contribution of major land-use-land-cover(lulc) within the ethekwini municipal area (ema) using the recently launched landsat 8 and modis -land surface and temperature (lst) data-sets. to determine the contribution of urban greenery as possibleremedy to urban heat island (uhi), major lulcs were grouped into four functional zones and contributionindex (ci) used to determine multi-seasonal heat contribution to ema. results show that impervious surfaceswere the major heat source while the green spaces were the major heat sinks. furthermore, the built-up/greenspaces transition zones accounted for significantly lower heat contribution to the entire landscape. the latterfinding indicates the value of developing greenery mosaics within the often densely built-up urban areas. inaddition to determining extents of ema’s valuable greenery, this study demonstrates the value of remotelysensed data-sets in understanding the implication of lulc types on the urban micro-climate. the study isparticularly valuable for designing sustainable urban socio-economic and environmental strategies at local,regional and global climate change