Variation in community heat vulnerability for Shenyang City under local climate zone perspective

Assessing heat vulnerability is essential for analyzing and improving the urban thermal environment. We developed a heat vulnerability model to examine the spatial distribution characteristics of thermal vulnerability and its relationship with local climate zones (LCZs) in Shenyang City at the community level. Additionally, we thoroughly explored the change patterns of heat vulnerability in communities with similar LCZ components. Our findings revealed that: (1) Building-type LCZs exhibited a non-uniform distribution, with LCZ8 representing the largest proportion, and LCZ1 and LCZ2 accounting for the smallest proportions. Nature-type LCZ communities were distributed along the Hun River and in some areas of the northwest and south, with LCZD having the largest proportion and LCZB the smallest. (2) Building height was positively correlated with the heat vulnerability index (HVI), while building density had minimal impact on HVI. LCZ8 had the highest HVI, and LCZG had the lowest. (3) Clustering the communities revealed that buildings had a greater impact on HVI than impervious surfaces. Creating strong ventilation and increasing the number of nature-type LCZs were identified as the most important factors for community development. These results highlight the differences in heat vulnerability among communities with various landscape configurations, providing a theoretical basis for targeted community structure adjustments and the reduction of urban thermal risks.