64┃ Colorado Public Works Journal Angela Folkestad is the Executive Director of ACPA, Colorado/Wyoming Chapter and can be reached at afolkestad@pavement.com ACPA COLORADO/WYOMING CHAPTER Angela Folkestad Build Concrete Pavements to Reduce Urban Temperatures As the temperature rises again this summer and we look for ways to beat the heat, it’s important to remember that we have the ability to reduce the impacts of the urban heat island (UHI) effect by building reflec�ve pavements. Your first ques�on might be “what is an urban heat island”? Urban heat islands are generated by a variety of factors, including reduced natural landscapes (fewer trees, vegeta�on & bodies of water), impermeable surfaces (buildings, pavements), urban geometry (affec�ng solar & wind paterns), heat from human ac�vi�es (transporta�on, building HVAC, industrial), weather, and geography. And UHI isn’t a new concept - observa�ons of the impacts of urban heat islands date back to the 1800s when the city of London was described as always being warmer than the country. Building cool, reflec�ve pavements can help to reduce the impacts of UHI since these lighter colored pavements reflect heat instead of absorbing it and have a lower surface temperature. The measurement of surface reflec�vity is known as albedo - lighter color surfaces reflect light and have a higher albedo (maximum = 1), while dark surfaces absorb light and have a lower albedo (minimum = 0). While pavement albedo changes over �me, concrete pavements tend to have a much higher albedo and can help reduce temperatures in urban areas. You may have experienced this firsthand when walking or biking on paths, city streets & even highways throughout Colorado – you can literally feel the air become cooler when walking or biking from a dark surface onto a lighter surface. MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub has completed extensive modeling of the impacts of UHI, and their research can be found on their website at htps://cshub.mit.edu/. To learn more about the concrete pavement industry’s commitment to sustainability, check out Concrete Pavement’s Role in a Sustainable, Resilient Future at htps://www.acpa.org/whyconcrete/sustainability-environmental/. Choose concrete pavements to increase pavement albedo and help mi�gate climate change! Graphic Source: www.epa.gov/heatislands Build Concrete Pavements to Reduce Urban Temperatures As the temperature rises again this summer and we look for ways to beat the heat, it’s important to remember that we have the ability to reduce the impacts of the urban heat island (UHI) effect by building reflective pavements. Your first question might be “what is an urban heat island”? Urban heat islands are generated by a variety of factors, including reduced natural landscapes (fewer trees, vegetation & bodies of water), impermeable surfaces (buildings, pavements), urban geometry (affecting solar & wind patterns), heat from human activities (transportation, building HVAC, industrial), weather, and geography. And UHI isn’t a new concept - observations of the impacts of urban heat islands date back to the 1800s when the city of London was described as always being warmer than the country. Building cool, reflective pavements can help to reduce the impacts of UHI since these lighter colored pavements reflect heat instead of absorbing it and have a lower surface temperature. The measurement of surface reflectivity is known as albedo - lighter color surfaces reflect light and have a higher albedo (maximum = 1), while dark surfaces absorb light and have a lower albedo (minimum = 0). While pavement albedo changes over time, concrete pavements tend to have a much higher albedo and can help reduce temperatures in urban areas. You may have experienced this firsthand when walking or biking on paths, city streets & even highways throughout Colorado – you can literally feel the air become cooler when walking or biking from a dark surface onto a lighter surface. MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub has completed extensive modeling of the impacts of UHI, and their research can be found on their website at https://cshub.mit.edu/. To learn more about the concrete pavement industry’s commitment to sustainability, check out Concrete Pavement’s Role in a Sustainable, Resilient Future at : https://www.acpa.org/why-concrete/sustainability-environmental/. Choose concrete pavements to increase pavement albedo and help mitigate climate change!
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