Table 9 Comparison of key urban and Climatic characteristics between Nanchang and Singapore and implications for framework transferability.

Climate regime

Subtropical monsoon climate with hot, humid summers

Tropical rainforest climate with persistently high temperatures

Core cooling processes (e.g., vegetation evapotranspiration and airflow-mediated heat dissipation) operate consistently across warm–humid climates, despite different thermal baselines

Urban density

Medium–high density with extensive inland water bodies

Extremely high density with limited land availability

Spatial manifestations of cooling differ, but underlying physical processes (evapotranspiration, shading and advective cooling) remain comparable

Dominant cooling elements

Large lakes, rivers, wetlands, horizontal green–blue corridors

Urban parks, park connector network, vertical greenery

The framework accommodates both horizontal and vertical cooling-source configurations by abstracting cooling elements as functionally equivalent network nodes.

Vegetation cooling mechanism

Evapotranspiration and surface albedo effects dominate cooling

Evapotranspiration combined with shading from multi-layer vegetation

Vegetation-driven cooling remains the core mechanism, with structural complexity modulating cooling intensity rather than altering the mechanism itself

Network connectivity

Lake–river systems and green corridors enabling lateral ventilation

Island-wide park connectors linking parks and waterways

Cooling effects can be conceptualised as spatially connected networks in both contexts, supporting network-based modelling approaches

Built environment interaction

Surface composition and imperviousness strongly influence LST

Building height and compact morphology enhance shading and modify airflow

Built–natural interactions are city-specific, but interaction analysis captures how urban form mediates cooling effectiveness

Framework adaptation

Emphasis on horizontal connectivity and water-based cold sources

Greater emphasis on vertical greenery and compact urban form

Framework requires context-sensitive parameterisation and representation, rather than structural modification

Overall transferability

Empirically validated through spatial modelling in Nanchang

Supported by mechanism-based evidence from the literature

The framework demonstrates robust mechanistic transferability, suggesting applicability across high-density warm–humid urban contexts.