Road pavement is a known contributor to the urban heat island effect. Several vendors are providing engineered pavements coatings – known as “cool pavement” - to reflect light and therefore heat to reduce the thermal load of roads. The City of Tucson implemented a pilot application of a 1.5 mile section of cool pavement in Fall 2021 as a part of its Parks and Connections Bond work. Our team of NITC researchers from University of Arizona have been working with the city and vendors to evaluate the treatment and impact on cooler ambient air temperatures. They're also examining whether innovations such as cooler pavement surfaces can make walking and biking more tolerable and extend the life of streets and roads. Few of these cool pavements have been evaluated outside lab conditions, particularly in the desert southwest.

“The idea is to make walking and biking more comfortable and safe for the entire community. But particularly, it’s an equity issue because for community members that may not have transportation options besides walking or biking or transit, they’re exposed to extreme heat during their daily travel. For vulnerable or marginalized community members, cool corridors can really be a public health, a public safety issue. There are a lot of broader benefits, too. The transportation sector is one of the primary drivers of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, so if we want to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are leading to warming temperatures, we’re going to have to help make non-vehicle transportation options more feasible and appealing.”
- Ladd Keith, University of Arizona (read the full July 2022 interview with Washington Post)

This project is part of a larger effort by UA researchers looking at measuring and evaluating personal heat exposure in the context of urban projects, policies, transportation for climate change adaptation and resilience. Learn more about Assessing Cool Corridor Heat Resilience Strategies for Human-Scale Transportation led by Ladd Keith of University of Arizona