• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.1-14
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• 2020

In order to improve the urban thermal environment, efforts are being made to increase green areas in cities that include park construction, planting, and green roofing. Among these efforts, urban parks play an important role not only in improving the urban thermal environment, but also in terms of ecosystem services (serving as resting places for citizens, providing cleaner air quality, reducing noise, etc.). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to suggest planning and management guidelines for urban parks that are effective in improving the thermal environment, by analyzing the urban surface temperature reduction performance of urban parks. To do this, first, land surface temperature was calculated by using Landsat 8 images. Second, the PCI (Park Cool Island) index was calculated to identify the temperature reduction performance of urban parks. Third, the characteristics of parks (area, shape, vegetation) and the surrounding spatial characteristics (land cover, building-related variables, etc.) were identified. Finally, the relationship between the PCI indices (PCI scale, PCI effect, PCI intensity) and the characteristics of the parks and their surroundings were analyzed. The results revealed that the parks consisting of a larger area, simple shape, and higher tree coverage ratio had increased PCI performance, and were advantageous for improving the urban thermal environment. Meanwhile, PCI performance was found to have decreased in areas with a higher impermeable area ratio and building coverage ratio. The outcomes of this study can be used to identify priority areas for planning and management of urban parks and can also be utilized as planning and management guidelines for improving urban thermal environment.