URBAN HEAT, GREEN INEQUALITY, AND CLIMATE-RESPONSIVE PLANNING: A GEOSPATIAL FRAMEWORK FOR RAPIDLY GROWING PAKISTANI CITIES

Abstract

Rapid urbanisation is reshaping land cover, local climate, and environmental inequality across South Asian cities. This article develops a geospatial framework for understanding how vegetation loss and expansion of impervious surfaces can contribute to urban heat exposure, and how spatial evidence can support more equitable regional planning in Pakistan. It synthesises recent published research on land-use/land-cover change, land surface temperature (LST), and urban heat islands, with particular attention to studies of Pakistani cities. The reviewed evidence consistently associates built-up and barren surfaces with higher daytime LST and vegetation and water with lower surface temperatures. However, satellite-derived LST is not equivalent to air temperature or direct human heat exposure, and spatial correlations alone do not establish causation. The article proposes a practical workflow combining multi-temporal Landsat imagery, vegetation and built-up indices, GIS-based hotspot mapping, demographic vulnerability indicators, and community validation. It recommends that planning agencies prioritise heat-risk mapping, protect existing green and blue infrastructure, expand shade and permeable surfaces in underserved neighbourhoods, and publish transparent monitoring indicators. As a conceptual synthesis rather than a new remote-sensing experiment, the article reports no original measurements; its contribution is an integrated framework that can be tested in future city-level studies.