The effect of different road pavement typologies on urban heat island: a case study

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon is commonly solved by implementing materials with optimal thermic and evapotranspiration properties which help decreasing the air temperature in dense urban areas. This approach has been applied in this study, testing six different materials (replacing the current Macadam) in one parking area in Bari (Italy), which provides a large-scale testbed, by means of a thermal three-dimensional non-hydrostatic simulation: impervious asphalt pavement (IAP), asphalt permeable pavement (APP), green pavement (GP), green pavementasphalt permeable pavement (GP+APP), grey porous concrete blocks (GCB), and light concrete permeable pavement (LCPP). The highest-performance pavements in terms of potential air temperature (PAD reduction were the GP (-1.22 degrees C), GCB (-1.26 degrees C) and LCPP (-1.22 degrees C), which also showed a constant relative humidity, suggesting their UHI mitigation benefits. A comparison of the structural properties as well as the construction and maintenance costs of such pavements is also provided, finding the best mitigation strategy (GCB).