The enhancement of the park cooling effect (PCE) is one method used to alleviate the urban heat island (UHI). The cooling effect is affected by park factors; however, the importance of these factors in the case of the PCE is still unclear. Optimizing or planning urban parks according to the importance of the influencing factors can effectively enhance the PCE. Herein, we selected 502 urban parks in 29 cities in China with three different climatic regions and quantified the PCE based on the park cooling intensity (PCI) and park cooling area (PCA). Subsequently, the relative importance of the influencing factors for the PCE was compared to identify the main factors. Consequently, certain park planning suggestions were proposed to enhance the cooling effect. The results show that: (1) the PCE increased in the order of arid/semi-arid, semi-humid, and humid regions. (2) The main factors of the PCI differed significantly in different climatic regions; however, the waterbody within a park significantly affected the PCI in all three climates. However, for the PCA, park patch characteristics were the dominant factor, contributing approximately 80% in the three climates regions. (3) In arid/semi-arid and semi-humid regions, the optimal area proportion of waterbody and vegetation within the park were approximately 1:2 and 1:1, respectively, and the threshold value of the park area was 16 ha. In contrast, in the humid region, the addition of a waterbody area within the park, to the best extent possible, enhanced the PCI, and the threshold value of the park area was 19 ha. The unique results of this study are expected to function as a guide to future urban park planning on a regional scale to maximize ecological benefits while mitigating the UHI.
Keywords: climatic regions; cooling effect; dominance; influencing factors; urban park.