The Heat Is on: How Well Are Densely Populated Korean Cities Adapting to Increased Temperatures and Urban Heat Island Effect?

Rising temperatures due to climate change are exacerbating the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI). UHI has serious impacts on ecosystems and human health, causes the deterioration of infrastructure and economic loss, decreases air quality, and increases energy consumption. The problem is heightened in densely populated cities. Temperatures are projected to rise more steeply in Korea than global temperatures. This paper focuses on evaluating UHI adaptation strategies of densely populated Korean cities Seoul, Busan, and Daegu through a policy review. The comparative analysis shows that, in terms of heatwave and UHI policies, Daegu is ahead as the only city with a dedicated heatwave plan. As the hottest city in Korea, it is not surprising that it is leading in heatwave policy and research. The study finds that blue-green infrastructures were the most common strategies for heatwave mitigation in these cities, but transformative adaptation is still largely absent. Despite the severity of the UHI phenomenon, particularly in densely populated Asian cities, the response so far has been limited. While there is evidence of genuine efforts towards UHI mitigation and increasing the quality and quantity of green infrastructure, many policies are too general and do not include specific details or measurable targets. Investment in expensive projects has fallen well short of the need and scale of the problem. The findings show that Korea is in the early stages of policy development for adaptation to the effects of heatwaves and UHI, and much more action is needed in the future.