A doctoral student at the UGA, Neil Debbage, led a study trying to determine with urban forms affected urban heat islands the most. The study also ranked the urban heat islands of the U.S.

Researchers found no one size fits all urban model where the advice to build more dense or build more sprawling would solve urban heat effects. More density and more sprawl could each increase urban heat island effect in their own way. Most important is how each urban built area is connected and how green space divides it up.