In an effort to cool down Dallas’s urban core, the city is collaborating with the nonprofit Smart Surfaces Coalition.
The goal is to make infrastructure changes to combat the “urban island heat effect” by making adjustments to elements of infrastructure called “smart surfaces”. The term smart surfaces is used to describe areas that can impact the temperature of urban areas such as pavement, roofs and trees.
The Smart Surfaces Coalition is made up of 40 national and international organizations dedicated to making cities cooler and healthier by minimizing the impacts of flooding and extreme urban heat. An analysis of Dallas revealed that its heavily urbanized areas were often 14 degrees F higher than other areas due to its many dark, impervious surfaces such as roadways, roofs and parking lots.
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The conclusion of the analysis was that the impermeable surfaces in downtown Dallas absorb as much as 95 percent of solar radiation contributing to flooding and the dangerously high temperatures experienced here during the summer months. Moreover, in the city’s hottest neighborhoods the implementation of “smart surfaces” could potentially reduce by 3.1 to 6.9 the peak summer air temperatures.
Changes recommended included planting greenery on rooftops, adding gardens and trees at ground level wherever possible, the use of light-colored roadway and roofing materials to reflect rather than absorb the sun’s heat and the introduction of porous pavements.
