Decoding Heat Inequity Patterns in a Megacity: A Framework for Quantifying Equity Through Community-Scale Heat Vulnerability Assessment in Shenzhen

Abstract

Heat inequity has emerged as a critical challenge for urban sustainability and a focal point in environmental justice research. This study pioneers residential community-scale heat vulnerability assessment in Global South megacities, employing multi-source big data within an exposure-sensitivity-adaptive capacity framework. Descriptive-inferential statistical analysis and bivariate local spatial autocorrelation analysis reveal distinct heat inequity across Shenzhen. Results demonstrate polarized residential community heat vulnerability index (RC-HVI) distribution: high-value clusters exhibit dispersed-agglomerated patterns, while low-value zones form horizontal belts in former Special Economic Zones. Covariate-adjusted regression analyses confirm a significant negative correlation between RC-HVI and monthly rent per capita (MRPC), intensifying with rising MRPC intervals. Bivariate local spatial autocorrelation analysis (Moran’s I=-0.093, p<0.01) substantiates the inverse geospatial interdependencies between residents' socioeconomic status and locational heat vulnerability risks across urban residential environments. Clustering-derived outcomes identified Low-MRPC/High-RC-HVI clusters accounting for 18.2% of residential communities, predominantly concentrated in aging urban villages in urban core areas and industrial new towns in peri-urban areas. Hierarchical clustering analysis identifies four priority heat inequity spatial typologies: historical urban cores grappling with legacy constraints, urban villages within urban core areas, emerging urban cores exhibiting elite capture effects, and peripheral industrial new towns. The proposed heat inequity governance framework combines short-term interventions with long-term institutional reforms. Transcending conventional census tract-scale limitations, this study establishes a methodological advancement for precision heat inequity identification and governance, providing empirical evidence of spatial differentiation mechanisms underlying heat vulnerability risks and heat inequity distributions in Global South megacities.

Keywords: heat inequity, environmental justice, residential communities, heat vulnerability assessment, Shenzhen