Three-Decadal Analysis of Industrial Heat Island Effect Triggered by Industrial Blocks Development in Greater Shanghai

In many newly industrialized countries, the booming industrial parks have played a crucial role in propelling urban growth, promoting socioeconomic growth, and causing environmental deterioration. This study investigated land use/land cover (LULC) transformation and thermal effects of the “104 Industrial Blocks” in Shanghai, which have been the key industrial development zones since 1995. A total of 64 industrial clusters were identified by merging industrial parks with close spatial linkages. Subsequently, using a data-driven framework that contains data generated from Landsat series C2L2 images and auxiliary datasets, we analyzed land development patterns and associated anomalous thermal response across three scales: macro-level pattern, meso-level ring, and local scale. The results indicate that industrial growth in the downtown shifted from incremental expansion to stock renewal. Suburban areas became the main destinations for industrial relocation. Consequently, the thermal environment underwent a remarkable reconfiguration. Urban heat island (UHI) intensity declined in the downtown, while industrial clusters on the urban periphery emerged as newly emerging heat sources. Around 75% of suburban industrial parks have shifted from low- to medium/high-density patterns, creating new industrial heat islands. In contrast, only 20.31% of suburban industrial parks have shifted from low- to medium-density development without resulting in new urban heat islands.