https://ghostarchive.org/archive/QyPFg
"Los Angeles is often described as a concrete jungle, a city shaped by asphalt,
parking lots and other hardscape. Now, for the first time, researchers have
mapped that concrete in detail, and they claim a lot of it doesn’t need to be
there.
A new analysis finds that some 44% of Los Angeles County’s 312,000 acres of
pavement may not be essential for roads, sidewalks or parking, and could be
reconsidered.
The report, DepaveLA, is the first parcel-level analysis to map all paved
surfaces across L.A. County, and to distinguish streets, sidewalks, private
properties, and other areas. The researchers divided all pavement into “core”
and “non-core” uses. A street, for example, is core. Then they paired that map
with data on heat, flooding and tree canopy, creating what they intend as a new
framework for understanding where removing concrete and asphalt could make the
biggest difference for people’s health and the climate.
Paved surfaces get hotter than those with plantings, absorbing and radiating
out the sun’s energy rather than converting it into plant growth, which in turn
creates shade. Hotter areas also create more ozone smog. Greener areas are
known to bring people psychological relief as well."
Original at
<
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-02-16/nearly-half-of-l-a-countys-pavement-may-be-unnecessary-new-map-finds>
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-new-orleans-carnival-cleanup/>
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
