Research indicates that most American cities will experience up to five or 10 times as many excessively hot (90+ degrees Fahrenheit) days within a few decades.
To help reduce urban heat, 22 U.S. organizations have launched the Smart Surfaces Coalition. The group’s aim is to help cities to understand how to use advanced surface technologies to reduce heat and prevent flooding.
U.S. cities can cut excess heat days by half, save $700 billion, and create 270,000 new jobs by deploying smart surfaces, according to a news release from the U.S. Green Building Council. “Rapidly rising temperatures are already costing consumers and companies billions in higher energy and health care costs, and making American communities less livable and healthy,” the release says.
Smart surface technologies allow cities to better manage sun radiation and storm water runoff through:
— Cool roofs and pavements that reflect away (instead of absorbing) sunlight—cutting temperatures and smog
— Green roofs and trees that provide shade and reduce flood risk
— Solar PV that converts sunshine into electricity and provides shade
— Porous pavements, sidewalks, and roads that reduce water runoff and flooding and cut the cost of managing storm water
Related Stories
Urban Planning | Apr 12, 2024
New York City’s safest year for pedestrians due to concerted effort of street redesign, speed restrictions
In 2023, New York City recorded its safest year for pedestrians since record-keeping began in 1910. In a city of 8.5 million people, 101 deaths were due to vehicles striking pedestrians, less than one-third the number of the early 1990s. New York City ramped up its efforts to make walking and biking safer in 2014 when the city reduced its speed limit to 25 miles per hour.
Codes and Standards | Apr 8, 2024
First federal blueprint to decarbonize U.S. buildings sector released
The Biden Administration recently released “Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050: A National Blueprint for the Buildings Sector,” a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from buildings by 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050.
Green | Apr 8, 2024
LEED v5 released for public comment
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has opened the first public comment period for the first draft of LEED v5. The new version of the LEED green building rating system will drive deep decarbonization, quality of life improvements, and ecological conservation and restoration, USGBC says.
Codes and Standards | Apr 8, 2024
Boston’s plans to hold back rising seawater stall amid real estate slowdown
Boston has placed significant aspects of its plan to protect the city from rising sea levels on the actions of private developers. Amid a post-Covid commercial development slump, though, efforts to build protective infrastructure have stalled.
Codes and Standards | Apr 4, 2024
How Washington, D.C.'s Zero Waste DC Plan impacts building owners and design professionals
On February 8, 2024, Mayor Muriel Bowser presented the Zero Waste DC Plan to the Council, outlining policies, programs, and initiatives to meet the District’s aim of reducing per capita waste generation by 15% and transitioning from a disposable culture to a circular economy. Of the 43 actions in the plan, a handful are essential for building owners and design professionals to know about now.
Affordable Housing | Apr 1, 2024
Biden Administration considers ways to influence local housing regulations
The Biden Administration is considering how to spur more affordable housing construction with strategies to influence reform of local housing regulations.
Affordable Housing | Apr 1, 2024
Chicago voters nix ‘mansion tax’ to fund efforts to reduce homelessness
Chicago voters in March rejected a proposed “mansion tax” that would have funded efforts to reduce homelessness in the city.
Standards | Apr 1, 2024
New technical bulletin covers window opening control devices
A new technical bulletin clarifies the definition of a window opening control device (WOCD) to promote greater understanding of the role of WOCDs and provide an understanding of a WOCD’s function.
Office Buildings | Mar 21, 2024
Corporate carbon reduction pledges will have big impact on office market
Corporate carbon reduction commitments will have a significant impact on office leasing over the next few years. Businesses that have pledged to reduce their organization’s impact on climate change must ensure their next lease allows them to show material progress on their goals, according to a report by JLL.
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 21, 2024
Massachusetts launches program to spur office-to-residential conversions statewide
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey recently launched a program to help cities across the state identify underused office buildings that are best suited for residential conversions.