Region : Jurnal Pembangunan Wilayah dan Perencanaan Partisipatif
Vol 21, No 2 (2026)

Simulation-based assessment of urban heat island mitigation in commercial districts

Miftahul Huda (Magister of Architecture, University of Merdeka Malang, 59 Terusan Raya Dieng st., Malang, Indonesia)
Respati Wikantiyoso (Magister of Architecture, University of Merdeka Malang, 59 Terusan Raya Dieng st., Malang, Indonesia)
Nurul Aini (Magister of Architecture, University of Merdeka Malang, 59 Terusan Raya Dieng st., Malang, Indonesia)
Pindo Tutuko (Magister of Architecture, University of Merdeka Malang, 59 Terusan Raya Dieng st., Malang, Indonesia)
Erlina Laksmiani Wahjutami (Magister of Architecture, University of Merdeka Malang, 59 Terusan Raya Dieng st., Malang, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jul 2026

Abstract

Commercial districts in tropical cities are especially vulnerable to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, leading to higher outdoor air temperatures and poorer microclimate conditions. This study examines the efficiency of UHI mitigation strategies to lower the outdoor air temperature in a commercial area in Malang, Indonesia. The research utilized ENVI-met microclimate simulation software to analyse the effectiveness of different UHI mitigation strategies. Four mitigation strategies were developed: structural-based, vegetation-based, material-based, and an integrated mitigation approach. The results were compared to the current conditions. Simulations were conducted to represent the hottest day during the dry season, measuring air temperature at a height of 1.4 m throughout the day. The results indicate that all mitigation scenarios maintain a similar daily temperature pattern to the current condition, with peak air temperatures occurring in the early afternoon. The major difference among all mitigation strategies is the amount of cooling effect. The structural-based mitigation scenario provides the minimum amount of cooling effect, at 0.12 °C. The vegetation-based mitigation scenario provides 0.38 °C, while the material-based mitigation scenario provides 0.61 °C. The integrated mitigation scenarioproduced the greatest cooling effect, reducing the temperature by 0.86 °C. These findings demonstrate that integrated, multi-mechanism strategies can effectively reduce daytime heat exposure in tropical commercial areas, while also showing the need for additional comfort assessments that look beyond just air temperature.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

region

Publisher

Subject

Civil Engineering, Building, Construction & Architecture

Description

Region : Jurnal Pembangunan Wilayah dan Perencanaan Partisipatif, diterbitkan oleh Pusat Informasi dan Pembangunan Wilayah (PIPW) yang berada di bawah Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LPPM) Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta, berisi tulisan tentang hasil penelitian, gagasan ...