Review and Critical Analysis of International UHI Studies

5.3.2 Cool Pavements
Current Status
The status of cool roof policy is far more advanced than cool pavements and few formal policies
exist in this area. The LEED Green Building Rating System provides credits for buildings using
cool pavements through its Sustainable Sites Credit, and through a scheme called the Green Alley
Initiative the City of Chicago replaces all old pavements with porous paving as part of their
renewal strategy [076]. On a residential level programs such as Earth Craft Homes exist,
developed by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface Energy Institute, the
program awards points for homes that use permeable pavements [076]. One paper by LBNL
discusses cool pavements alongside cool roofs and made a case for a new policy to implement
cool surfaces on all new build and resurfacing projects in temperate and tropical climates in the
US [201].
Potential Barriers
� Technical Research: Lack of research and modeling of benefits
� Economic Research: Too few cost benefit analysis studies undertaken
� Organizational Support: Lack of awareness of technology in the public and private sectors
� Institutional Support: Lack of industry support to communicate benefits, promote
technology transfer and address barriers.
Scale and Magnitude
Due to the nature of policy uptake, roads and pavements are typically under the control of local
government, so policy would have to be rolled out on a local scale. Where policy exists in the US
it has been borne from a pilot project or community project instigated a local government which
has been deemed successful and rolled out on a larger scale through procurement; design
guidelines; building standards and codes; or council issued resolutions. Outside the US, similarly
to cool roofs, little information and policy exists relating to cool pavements and more research
and promotion is required before this situation can be remedied.
Conclusion
Some policy exists for this technology, predominantly in the US, and it is the least developed
when compared to the other technologies featured in this section due to the lack of research, both
technical and economic, and lack of support from organizations and institutions.
Due to the substantial drawbacks of using policy and legislation to enforce changes to building
materials, primarily the lengthy timescales, a strategy which may help promote cool pavements is
to target the decision makers and influencers in the resurfacing industry such as roofing
specialists, construction contractors and architects and educate them on the benefits of cool
materials. [081].
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