Ideas to make London capital of cool

18 October 2006

‘Cool pavements’ designed to reduce heat absorption could be installed to prevent London from overheating during hot summer months.
A new study by the mayor of London draws attention to the capital’s urban heat island phenomenon, and proposes ways to tackle the problem through changes to infrastructure. London can be 9degC hotter than the surrounding green belt – particularly at night – primarily due to the absorption of solar energy in the urban fabric by day, and its release into the atmosphere at night.
The Urban heat island effect report calls for immediate action to address this phenomenon, which is being compounded by global warming.
One of the solutions suggested in the report is the installation of cool pavements, comprised of crumbled rubber and recycled aggregates which reflect heat and absorb water, thereby encouraging water storage, in addition to mitigating high temperatures. The report concedes that research into cool pavements is still in its infancy, but ‘demonstration projects in cities such as Phoenix, Arizona, have clearly shown the climate benefits of cool parking lots for example’. The report also suggests increasing the amount of trees and vegetation. It states: ‘Urban greening can be a cost-effective way of ameliorating harsh urban climates at the individual building to neighbourhood scale.’ In addition, urban trees act as carbon stores and can reduce urban flooding through intercepting heavy rainfall.
Other recommendations include designing buildings to stay cool without depending on air conditioning, and promoting ‘green roofs’ and ‘coral roofs’.
The research was led by Kings College London, with contributions from climatologists, meteorologists, geographers, engineers and public health experts.

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