Rapid urbanization and the replacement of natural surfaces with dense built infrastructure have intensified the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in cities worldwide. In Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, post-war urban growth has been accompanied by limited green infrastructure and weak spatial planning, increasing vulnerability to extreme urban heat.
This study examines the UHI effect in Pristina from an architectural and urban design perspective, focusing on the relationship between urban morphology, vegetation coverage, and surface temperature patterns. The analysis integrates Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification, satellite-derived Land Surface Temperature (LST), and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to identify critical heat-stress zones. The results indicate that dense urban typologies – particularly LCZ 2 (compact mid-rise) and LCZ 8 (large low-rise), exhibit the highest surface temperatures, exceeding 50°C, combined with minimal vegetation coverage.
In response, an urban acupuncture approach is proposed, emphasizing small-scale, targeted, and cost-effective architectural and urban interventions rather than large-scale redevelopment. The proposed strategies include street tree planting, pocket parks, bioswales, green parking solutions, cool pavements, reflective and green building envelopes, and shading structures in public spaces. These measures aim to enhance shading, evapotranspiration, and surface reflectivity, thereby reducing surface temperatures and improving pedestrian thermal comfort.
By linking spatial UHI analysis with design-oriented mitigation strategies, this study moves beyond descriptive thermal mapping toward actionable urban climate adaptation. The proposed framework is transferable to Pristina and other rapidly urbanizing cities in the Western Balkans and similar contexts facing increasing heat stress under climate change.