Evaluating Green Infrastructure Interventions for Land Surface Temperature Reduction: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Review

Abstract

Abstract: Rapid urbanization has intensified land surface temperatures (LST) in cities worldwide, exacerbating the urban heat island effect and increasing risks to thermal discomfort, public health, and energy demand. Green infrastructure (GI), including street trees, urban parks, green roofs, vertical greenery, and blue–green systems has emerged as a key nature-based strategy for mitigating urban surface heat. This study presents a PRISMA-guided systematic review combined with bibliometric analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of GI interventions in reducing LST within built environments. A comprehensive search of the Web of Science Core Collection identified 211 records, of which 61 peer-reviewed studies published between 2012 and 2026 met the predefined inclusion criteria. Bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer reveals a rapidly expanding research field, characterized by exponential growth (R² = 0.9135) and strong thematic convergence around keywords such as green infrastructure, land surface temperature, urban heat island, and built environment. Keyword co-occurrence mapping identifies multiple interconnected research clusters, highlighting integration across thermal regulation, urban morphology, climate adaptation, and methodological innovation, while also revealing the relative underrepresentation of social and equity-focused dimensions. Geographically, research output is concentrated in Asia, Europe, and Australia, indicating regional imbalances in evidence generation. The systematic synthesis shows that tree-based green infrastructure and urban parks consistently produce the largest LST reductions, commonly ranging from 2–4 °C and locally exceeding 6 °C, whereas green roofs and vertical greenery systems deliver more localized but critical cooling benefits in high-density urban areas. Cooling effectiveness is strongly context-dependent, shaped by climate zone, urban morphology, vegetation structure, and spatial configuration. Notably, several studies demonstrate that small-scale GI interventions can significantly reduce surface heat stress in informal settlements, underscoring important equity implications. By integrating bibliometric mapping with PRISMA-based content analysis, this review provides a context-sensitive, design-aware, and climate-responsive synthesis to support evidence-based urban heat mitigation and climate-resilient planning.

Keywords: Land Surface Temperature (LST), Urban Heat Island (UHI), Green Infrastructure (GI), Urban Morphology, Systematic Review, PRISMA