Land Surface Temperature Dynamics and Urban Heat Island Mitigation in Enugu City: Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications

Urban Heat Islands in medium-sized Nigerian cities like Enugu in the South East geopolitical zone have received limited empirical attention despite growing recognition that thermal stress, elevated energy demand, and reduced outdoor liveability associated with UHI effects impose real welfare costs on urban residents that will intensify under climate change. This study provides an empirically grounded analysis of Land Surface Temperature dynamics in Enugu City and evaluates the biophysical and urban morphological drivers of UHI intensity at the intra-urban scale. Landsat 9 thermal infrared data across twelve cloud-free scenes spanning 2021 to 2024 were processed to retrieve Land Surface Temperature using the split-window algorithm. Urban morphological indicators including building density, sky view factor, canyon aspect ratio, and impervious surface fraction were computed from digitised building footprints and high-resolution imagery for 64 urban blocks. Generalised Additive Models were fitted to examine the non-linear relationships between morphological predictors and mean block-level LST. Cooling effect magnitudes of urban green spaces were quantified using moving window analysis comparing LST in and around 28 parks and roadside green corridors. Results confirm a mean UHI intensity of 4.2 degrees Celsius between industrial and vegetated residential zones, with sky view factor and impervious surface fraction the strongest morphological predictors of LST variance. Urban parks with canopy coverage exceeding 60 percent show statistically significant cooling effects extending up to 180 metres beyond park boundaries. The study provides the first systematic morphological analysis of UHI drivers in Enugu City and recommends bioclimatic building codes and green corridor planting requirements as primary mitigation instruments. Keywords: urban heat island, land surface temperature, Enugu City, urban morphology, South East Nigeria.