🍊 Granada’s historical architecture, strongly influenced by Moorish design principles, has long incorporated strategies to mitigate excessive heat. Many traditional buildings feature whitewashed exteriors, a technique that reflects rather than absorbs solar radiation. Interior courtyards and patios create cool microclimates, improving thermal regulation. These design strategies ensure that despite high summer temperatures, traditional urban spaces remain livable and comfortable, a stark contrast to the heat retention seen in modern developments. 🍊
Urban areas tend to experience significantly higher temperatures than
their rural surroundings due to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect.
One way to assess this effect is through
Land Surface Temperature (LST) data. The intensity of
UHI is influenced by several factors, including the reduction of
vegetation, which eliminates natural cooling through shade and
evaporation, and the widespread use of dark, dense building materials
that trap heat.
The layout of urban areas also plays a role, as do human
activities such as vehicle emissions, industrial operations, and
extensive air conditioning use contribute to higher overall heat
accumulation. Addressing UHI is particularly important for ensuring
human comfort and sustainable urban living.
This spatial analysis is based on Landsat 8 Band 10 (thermal infrared) data from July 2022, filtered for images with less than 10% cloud cover, to identify urban heat hotspots in Granada.The neighborhood boundaries used in this analysis are rough estimates and may not align perfectly with official administrative divisions. The findings should be interpreted as general trends rather than precise localized measurements.