This interdisciplinary research project addresses the critical challenges of Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects in Chinese coastal cities under intensifying climate pressures. Traditional UHI research approaches have proven inadequate, relying on fragmented analyses that fail to capture complex urban-climate interactions. This research establishes a systemic framework that integrates knowledge from multiple disciplines, including climatology, urban design, and social sciences, to develop a holistic social-technical-ecological model of urban heat island systems. 

The research employs innovative methodologies, transitioning from conventional temperature measurements to Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) assessment for more accurate human thermal stress evaluation. Through mixed-methods analysis combining qualitative driver identification and XG-boost machine learning models, the study examines three distinct Chinese coastal cities—Dalian, Shanghai, and Hong Kong—using the Local Climate Zone classification system. This approach enables precise quantification of urban design variables' contributions to UHI intensity while identifying critical intervention thresholds. The project delivers theoretical advances in interdisciplinary climate research while providing urban designers with evidence-based mitigation toolkits.

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Academic Supervisor: Prof. Laurent Gutierrez, Ms Adriana Caplova