Investigating the Influence of Urban Morphology on Seasonal Thermal Environment Based on Urban Functional Zones

With the rapid advancement of urbanization, urban heat environment issues have become increasingly severe, presenting significant challenges to sustainable urban development. Although previous research has demonstrated the substantial impact of urban morphology on land surface temperature (LST), there is still a lack of comprehensive research on the non-stationary effects of urban morphology on seasonal LST at the block scale. Therefore, this study establishes a comprehensive research framework, utilizing urban functional zones in the core area of Chongqing as the primary research unit, to investigate the seasonal fluctuations in the spatial distribution of LST across various functional zones. Combining Random Forest (RF) with multiscale geographically weighted regression methods (MGWR), the study systematically analyzes the numerical and spatial distribution characteristics of how urban morphology factors influence LST from global and local perspectives. The results indicate that (1) the LST in central Chongqing exhibits marked seasonal variation and a distinct “mountain-water pattern,” with industrial zones consistently hotter and public service areas cooler; (2) biophysical surface parameters and building morphological indicators make a high relative contribution to LST changes across seasons, particularly in public service and commercial areas; (3) building density (BD) and biophysical surface parameters primarily exert local impacts on LST changes, while floor area ratio (FAR) and building height range (RBH) have a global effect. These findings provide new insights into the driving mechanisms of urban heat environments and offer scientific evidence for regulating and mitigating urban heat environment issues across different seasons and urban types.