Mapping urban microclimate: Visualizations of local climate zones across 52 European cities

Abstract

The local climate zone (LCZ) system standardizes thermally relevant morphological features into 17 distinct natural and built types. While previous studies focused on the thermal properties of various LCZs, the spatial configuration and distribution of built LCZs play a critical role in shaping broader urban microclimates—an aspect that has received limited attention in multi-city analyses. This study examines LCZs along urban gradients in 52 large European cities, using radial bin diagrams for visualization. We identify two key findings. First, most cities in our sample are dominated by moderately built zones primarily located in the middle and outer rings. Second, cities with a high proportion of built LCZs tend to have greater concentrations of both compact urban and large-footprint built zones, which may collectively intensify urban heat island effects during summer. These insights can inform spatial planning strategies to improve urban microclimates.