Reducing Urban Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies - Cool Pavements

Heat islands in urban and suburban areas are created when impervious concrete and asphalt pavements heat up during the day and the heat is released into the atmosphere at night. Peak summertime surface course temperatures can be as much as 120 degrees F - 150 degrees F on the pavements. One way to cool the pavements, and diminish heat islands is to use different paving materials that will store the heat less. This paper describes the materials and cooling mechanisms. It has the following topic headings: Cool Pavements: 1. How It Works - 1.1 Solar Energy, 1.2 Solar Reflectance (Albedo), 1.3 Thermal Emittance, 1.4 Permeability, 1.5 Other Factors to Consider, 1.6 Temperature Effects; 2. Potential Cool Pavement Types; 3. Benefits and Costs - 3.1 Benefits, 3.2 Costs, 3.3 Benefit-Cost Considerations; 4. Cool Pavement Initiatives.

  • Record URL:
  • Corporate Authors:

    Environmental Protection Agency

    1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
    Washington, DC  United States  20460
  • Authors:
    • Ferguson, Bruce
    • Fisher, Kim
    • Golden, Jay
    • Hair, Lisa
    • Haselbach, Liv
    • Hitchcock, David
    • Kaloush, Kamil
    • Pomerantz, Mel
    • Tran, Nam
    • Waye, Don
  • Publication Date: 2008

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Web
  • Edition: Draft
  • Features: Figures; Photos; Tables;
  • Pagination: 39p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01159656
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jun 24 2010 7:28AM