How do urban spatial patterns influence the river cooling effect? A case study of the Huangpu Riverfront in Shanghai, China

Abstract Urban rivers play an important role in mitigating the surrounding temperatures, but the contributions of the influencing factors are still unclear. Using remote sensing data captured on summer, this study evaluates the river cooling effect (RCE) of the Huangpu River in the central area of Shanghai, China, and examines the influence of urban spatial patterns on it. We found: (1) the average river cooling intensity (RCI) ranged from 1.72 °C to 9.10 °C, with the mean value being 4.47 °C, and the average river cooling distance (RCD) ranged from 72.57 m to 465.42 m with the mean value being 197.35 m; (2) areas with intensive, irregular-shaped, connected and aggregated buildings tend to receive higher RCE, while areas with greenspace of the same characteristics are likely to weaken this effect; (3) areas with low-rise buildings embrace higher RCI, while high-density roads oriented perpendicular to the river bank contribute to a higher RCD; (4) when controlling other variables, the downwind area could obtain a higher RCI of 1.5 °C and a larger RCD of 1.2 m than the upwind area. These findings provide insights for the practice of climate adaptive planning and design on the urban riverfronts of Shanghai and places with similar environments.