An Evaluation of Urban Land Use Regulations from View of Urban Surface Albedo

Abstract

Urban surface albedo, which is one of the important factors of the urban heat island phenomenon, was used to evaluate urban land use regulations. Broadband albedo at the surface level of Sakai City, Japan, was calculated, and effects of land use regulations and actual land use were estimated using satellite remote sensing data, a land use regulation map and detailed digital information expressing actual land use. Land use regulations define land use, maximum building coverage ratios and maximum floor area ratios, which relate the heights of buildings to the areas of their sites. These factors have effects upon broadband albedo and each narrowband albedo corresponding to wavelengths observed by Landsat ETM+. Albedo values differed according to land use regulation zones. The combination of land use regulation and actual land use is also meaningful in grasping urban surface albedo. But this relationship may provide only slight insight into the urban heat island phenomenon.