Mapping Montréal’s Hidden Heat: How Urban Form Shapes the Island’s Temperature

Every summer, Montréal becomes a patchwork of heat and coolness, a living thermal mosaic shaped by buildings, trees, and pavement.

Using Landsat 9 imagery and Google Earth Engine, I mapped surface temperature and vegetation to reveal the city’s Urban Heat Island (UHI) pattern.

The red areas on the map mark neighborhoods where surface temperatures run hottest and vegetation is sparse such as downtown, industrial corridors, and dense residential zones. In contrast, the blue zones correspond to parks, forested suburbs, and the surrounding agricultural belt, where trees and open soil cool the land surface.

This heat-vegetation relationship is more than visual: it highlights how urban design, impervious surfaces, and green cover interact to define microclimates. Cities such as Montréal can use this information to target tree-planting and green-roof initiatives, improving comfort, health, and resilience as summers warm.