Climate and Environment Cool Pavement Lessons from Pacoima on fighting heat By Erin Stone
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One of the art pieces symbolizing a heat scale near Hubert H. Humphrey Park in Pacoima, where 10 square blocks, a basketball court and elementary school yard have been coated with "cool paint." The whole street in this image is coated with the paint. (Courtesy of Pacoima Beautiful)
Topline:
Ten square blocks of streets, an elementary school yard and a basketball court in Pacoima are painted with reflective paint, which made their surfaces 10 degrees cooler than regular old asphalt on a recent 95-degree day. Preliminary research shows this reflective paint is helping cool the area by as much as 3 degrees.
Why it matters: While planting trees, shade and green space as well as improving housing are long-term solutions, cool pavement can be installed quickly and easily and have an immediate effect. As extreme heat rapidly worsens, L.A. and many cities are investing in it. But the technology is new and it's unclear how much it can help.
Caveats: The type of cool coating matters. Research out of UCLA found the asphalt-based reflective coatings the city of L.A. has used can actually make it hotter immediately above the surface … where people are. The coating in this area of Pacoima is acrylic-based, and preliminary research shows it doesn’t have that impact.
