Monday 30 June 2014

City of Sydney to trial light coloured pavement to reduce urban heat island effect

The City of Sydney last week announced a trial of lighter-coloured pavement as part of an investigation into ways of reducing temperatures in urban areas, with a short stretch of road in Chippendale selected for the experiment.


The trial will record temperatures across different locations, including the 600 square metre section of Myrtle Street, between Abercrombie and Smithers streets in Chippendale. Over coming months, monitoring equipment will determine whether or not there is a reduction in ambient temperate along the paler pavement.


According to the council, the 'urban heat island effect' means cities are often a few degrees warmer than regional areas due to surfaces such as roads, footpaths and buildings absorbing heat from the sun. Lighter-coloured pavements may be one solution to reduce this effect.


"Our cities are growing rapidly in size and population and our increasing energy consumption, carbon emissions and household waste is straining the natural environment," the Lord Mayor said.
"The City is taking long-term action to tackle climate change. We are increasing the tree canopy by 50 per cent to cool buildings, reduce power bills and beautify our city and making big investments in renewable energy. We will also continue to test new ideas to make sure we're being as effective as possible."



Lord Mayor Clover Moore said temperatures in Sydney were expected to rise in the coming decades due to the city's growth and the effects of climate change.

Read more at the Urbanalyst and Architecture & Design

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