The Evaluation of the Impact of Urbanisation on Urban Thermal Environment in the Case of Ayd？n

In cities, factors like the increase of the density of the buildings together with the decrease of the vegetation surfaces form the urban heat islands and cause negative effects on the urban thermal environment. In this context, this study examines the relationship between land surface temperature (LST), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and building density between the years 2005-2015 and evaluates their effects on urban thermal environment in the case of neighborhoods of Efeler and ？ncirliova districts of Ayd？n province, which are exposed to the rapid migration and urbanization recently. In the study, Landsat TM5 dated 24 July 2005 and Landsat 8 dated 20 July 2015 satellite images were used in the calculation of LST and NDVI values (USGS, 2018a). In addition, Imperviousness degree / building density maps (Imperviousness degree-IMD) for 2006 and 2015, obtained from the website of Copernicus Land Observation Services (Copernicus Land Monitoring Service-CLMS, 2018), were also used. In the study, surface temperature models were produced from the thermal bands of Landsat satellite images of July, which is the hottest and driest of Ayd？n province, and the relationships between these models and the values of NDVI and IMD were analysed. It was found that the increase in the density of the building areas and the decreasing vegetation surface ratio between the years of 2005 and 2015 caused an increase of 3.19℃ in the land surface temperature in Efeler and ？ncirliova districts of Ayd？n province. Also, it was found that whilst the correlation between land surface temperature and NDVI was negative, the correlation between land surface temperature and IMD was positive. As a consequence, this study has made suggestions to prevent urban heat island (UHI) effect and to mitigate its negative influences on urban thermal environments in Efeler and ？ncirliova districts of Ayd？n province