Cool pavement covers this LA neighborhood. Does it make a difference?

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 03:42:47 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/cool-pavement-urban-heat-results-pacoima-los-angeles/692642/>

"The first community-wide cool pavement experiment is unfolding in the north
Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacoima — and preliminary results are promising,
according to the city and its partners on the project.

In July 2022, the city partnered with roofing manufacturer GAF to apply the
company’s solar-reflective pavement coating to over 700,000 square feet of hard
surfaces within a 10-block perimeter. That includes streets, a school
playground, a basketball court and two parking lots in the neighborhood, which
sits in the notoriously hot San Fernando Valley. Local nonprofits are also
involved in the project, and artists covered some of the areas with colorful
murals.

This summer, GAF is sharing its first eight months of data. Compared with a
neighboring community without cool pavement, Pacoima saw ambient air
temperatures 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) above ground that were on average 1.5
degrees F lower during sunny days and up to 3.5 degrees F cooler during a
daytime extreme heat event. “The 2-meter mark was important because that’s kind
of person height, and that was critically important,” said Jeff Terry, GAF’s
vice president of corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

The pavement itself was 10 degrees F cooler on average on sunny days, and no
negative impacts have been observed to date, GAF reported."

Via The Fixer September 13, 2023
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/cool-pavement-los-angeles-urban-heat/

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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