Alberti, MarinaJung, Meen Chel2023-08-142023-08-142023Jung_washington_0250E_25458.pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/1773/50582Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2023The rise in global average temperature due to climate change causes uneven heat burdens in urban areas that are systematically associated with the built environment and socioeconomic status. These burdens disproportionately affect vulnerable populations with typically low adaptive capacities. To achieve better climate equity, it is vital to implement mitigation strategies that complement these populations’ limited ability to adjust to high temperatures. While there is extensive research on various mitigation measures, less attention has been paid to gaining greater equity through the examination of micro-scale thermal environments. For devising effective and equitable mitigation strategies, urban planners must identify the factors that contribute to temperature disparities in urban contexts. This dissertation addresses this critical issue by integrating two research domains: 1) landscape heterogeneity as determined by impervious surface level, redlining policy, and resolution effect, and 2) mitigation strategies classified into local- and city-scale measures.This dissertation, comprised of three empirical studies, proposes creating thermally comfortable and equitable urban areas under the influence of climate change. The first study, focusing on Portland, Oregon, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, seeks to identify the enduring impacts of historical discriminatory practices on uneven intra-urban environmental distribution, specifically land surface temperature and canopy area, along with the variable magnitude of the canopy cooling effect. The second study examines Boston, Massachusetts, New York, New York, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, exploring the effects of disaggregated landscape heterogeneity on the distribution of land surface temperature and the canopy cooling effect. The third study, centered on the Portland area, investigates the influence of urban development on drainage wind flow and evaluates the potential of drainage winds as an equitable nighttime heat mitigation measure. The primary contribution of this dissertation is the elucidation of the role of urban landscape heterogeneity in exposing disparities in mitigation capacity and temperature levels, achieved through innovative research methods. Notably, this dissertation reveals (1) the persistent impacts of historically discontinued redlining practices on current urban thermal environments, (2) the significance of considering disaggregated landscape heterogeneity across multiple dimensions when analyzing land surface temperature and estimating canopy cooling effects, and (3) the potential of drainage winds as a city-scale nocturnal mitigation measure capable of moderating spatial disparities in mitigation capacity due to unequal distribution of local-scale urban trees. To achieve greater climate equity, urban planners and local governments should consider each city’s unique contexts and micro landscape characteristics, which can assist in understanding current thermal environments and developing effective and equitable mitigation strategies.application/pdfen-USnoneUrban planningEnvironmental studiesUrban planningThesis