Paper Boys

Episode 91

Is solar reflective pavement the cure for hot cities?

This simple solution has a surprising unintended consequence.

As urban environments grow and natural vegetation gets replaced with concrete and asphalt, “Urban Heat Islands” develop, where urbanized areas retain much more heat than surrounding rural areas. The increased heat in densely populated areas can pose significant problems to both comfort and, more importantly, people’s health. The City of Los Angeles is investigating new measures to reduce the heat island effect by making their asphalt more reflective–but how effective is this measure in reducing air temps? Join us this week as we dive into new research evaluating the success of this bright new technology.

Check out the article here and the LA Times article here.

Photo credit: buildings.com

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