BIOPHILIC URBANISM AS A TOOL TO MITIGATE URBAN HEAT ISLAND-A CASE OF THIRUVANANTHAPURAM CITY

Abstract

A rising number of people are realizing how important everyday exposure to nature is for leading fulfilling lives. This influence of nature is recognized in the recent focus on biophilic urbanism as a planning approach. More focus must be placed on urban sizes, including developing "biophilic cities" and planning for them. In order to build social and landscape resilience in the face of climate change, a biophilic city must be created. The study outlines major pathways through which biophilic urbanism improves climatic conditions in Thiruvananthapuram city due to the micro climatic changes, loss of forest cover, increase in heat stress, loss of waterbody and increase in built density which leads to the formation of urban heat island. The urban heat island (UHI), which is defined by temperature differences between urban and rural regions, is a prime example of micro-climate changes brought on by urbanisation. The destruction of vegetation as a result of recent expansion has resulted in the loss of green land cover. Additionally, it has changed how land is used and is covered, which has made the Urban Heat Island (UHI) problem worse. This study aims to create a unique conceptual framework by interrelating the parameters of biophilic urbanism and urban heat island for arriving at strategic plans and proposals for the study area. First, the biophilic urbanism elements that can be integrated in the study area to mitigate the urban heat island is evaluated and analysed from the secondary data analysis to develop a framework. Second, the framework is quantitatively analysed considering the various scales of biophilic urbanism. Both phases, two types of data are employed in the study: land surface temperature readings of hotspot area at various time in a day and the spatial analysis considering the elements of biophilic urbanism depicted in framework for Thiruvananthapuram city. Finally, the study suggests strategies and proposals to be implemented at possible areas of Thiruvananthapuram city.