Spatiotemporal Regulation of Urban Thermal Environments by Source–Sink Landscapes: Implications for Urban Sustainability in Guangzhou, China

Yaxuan Hu, Junhao Chen, Zixi Jiang, Jiaxi He, Yu Zhao and Caige Sun ()
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Yaxuan Hu: School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Junhao Chen: School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Zixi Jiang: School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Jiaxi He: School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Yu Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Caige Sun: School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-21

Abstract: Urban thermal environments critically impact human settlements and sustainable urban development. In this study, a multi-index framework integrating Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI observations (2004–2019) is developed to quantify the contributions of “source–sink” landscapes to urban heat island (UHI) dynamics in Guangzhou, China, with direct implications for advancing sustainable development. Urban–rural gradient analysis was combined with emerging spatiotemporal hotspot modeling, revealing the following results: (1) there were thermal spatial heterogeneity with pronounced heat accumulation in core urban zones and improved thermal profiles in northern sectors, reflecting a transition from “more sources, fewer sinks” in the southwest to “fewer sources, more sinks” in the northeast; (2) UHIs were effectively mitigated within 25–35 km of the city center, with the landscape effect index (LI > 1) indicating successful sink-dominated cooling; (3) spatiotemporal hotspots were observed, including persistent UHIs in old urban areas contrasting with environmentally vulnerable coldspots in suburban mountainous regions, highlighting uneven thermal risks. This framework provides actionable strategies for sustainable urban planning, including optimizing green–blue infrastructure in UHI cores, enforcing cool material standards, and zoning expansion based on source–sink dynamics. This study bridges landscape ecology and sustainable development, offering a replicable model for cities worldwide to mitigate UHI effects through evidence-based landscape management.

Keywords: surface temperature; source–sink landscape; urban–rural gradient; spatiotemporal cube; urban sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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