Assessing diurnal land surface temperature variations across landcover and local climate zones: Implications for urban planning and mitigation strategies on socio-economic factors

• Daytime LST was the highest in the summer and nighttime in the monsoon • Densely built-up LCZs experienced higher diurnal LST than open ones • Height of built-up features had higher impact on night-time heat than density • Some rural areas were as hot as urban during the day but not at night • Heat vulnerable populations inhabited LCZs prone to overheating Rising temperatures and rapid urbanization globally reinforce the need to understand urban climates. We investigated the influence of land cover and local climate zones (LCZs) on diurnal land surface temperature (LST) in various seasons in greater Delhi region, India, and their implications on socio-economic factors. Day LST was the highest in the summer and night LST in the monsoon, which also had the lowest diurnal differences in LST. Higher height and density of built-up features contributed to greater heat at night. During the day, open built-up and vegetated areas experienced relatively less heat than their compact equivalents. The lowest diurnal difference was in medium height compact urban zones and tall vegetation. Social inequity in access to urban cooling was indicated by large low-income and heat-vulnerable populations inhabiting the hottest LCZs. This research highlighted that even in semi-arid and subtropical climates, spatial planning policy should consider both the seasonality and diurnal differences in temperature as much as appropriate morphologies for design of thermally comfortable and climate resilient urban spaces. These policies should address the evidenced social inequities in heat exposure to reduce the adverse health impacts on vulnerable groups and therefore contribute to wider societal and economic benefits of healthier populations.