The San Fernando Valley city of Pacoima has found a new solution for the scorching heat and humidity<\/p>\n
As temperatures in Los Angeles continue to rise to record-breaking highs for a sweltering weekend, one neighborhood is, quite literally, blazing a trail for a new way to deal with the heat.<\/p>\n
The National Weather Service<\/a> placed a heat advisory warning across L.A. County from Wednesday to Sunday, as temperatures are expected to reach 110 degrees. For San Fernando Valley\u2019s Pacoima, this torridity is normal in the summer. Pacoima\u2019s temperatures have sat in the 90s for almost the entirety of July, and the area is considered one of the hottest neighborhoods in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Pacoima, a low-income community which has historically been underinvested by the government, suffers from the urban heat island effect where roads and buildings absorb heat, increasing overall air temperatures.\u00a0<\/p>\n To combat the September 2022 heatwave, nonprofit organization Climate Resolve and roofing manufacturer GAF partnered together to launch the GAF Cool Community Project <\/a>in Pacoima.\u00a0<\/p>\n The project used reflective material called DuraShield-SR to coat black asphalt pavement in order to effectively disperse urban heat. Over 700,000 square feet of streets, playgrounds and parking lots were coated and monitored for California\u2019s Urban Heat Island Index.<\/p>\n The project participated in a study for a year, where findings found surface temperatures dropped<\/a> by more than 16 degrees Fahrenheit in some locations and air temperatures dropped by 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since Pacoima saw a 25-50% reduction in the urban heat island effect, Climate Resolve is looking to expand the project to include cool roofs and solar shingles to lower temperatures further.\u00a0<\/p>\n Scroll to continue reading<\/p>\n The study also found the reflective pavement had little effect on making conditions uncomfortable for pedestrians and did not create a significant glare.<\/a><\/p>\n Despite this, reflective pavement is not the entire solution. V. Kelly Turner, an associate director of UCLA\u2019s Luskin Center for Innovation and professor of urban planning and geography, emphasizes the importance of other solutions as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think cities should see reflective pavement as one tool among many, if deployed comprehensively, that could mitigate the regional urban heat island,\u201d Turner said<\/a>. \u201cThey should see this goal as parsimonious from the public health goal of protecting people\u2019s bodies from the sun.\u201d<\/p>\n