COOL SURFACES COMING TO PACOIMA
It’s another hot day in Pacoima.
Don’t you wish there was something you could do about it?
Well, there is. It’s called cool pavements. Using simple science, when black asphalt pavement is coated with a special material, sunlight will bounce back into space, and disperse heat along with it.
An effort is underway to bring cool pavements to Pacoima.
Global Cool Cities Alliance, Climate Resolve and GAF, North America’s Largest Roofing and Waterproofing Manufacturer, are partnering with Pacoima Beautiful, Urban Semillas, Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, StreetsLA, LA Department of Recreation & Parks, and the Los Angeles Unified School District to launch the GAF Cool Community Project-Pacoima.
As you know, the community of Pacoima is one of the hottest areas in Los Angeles. One of the contributing factors is the urban heat island effect where roads and buildings absorb heat from the sun leading to higher surface and air temperatures that can in turn affect our health, particularly the health of children, the elderly, and those with chronic illness.
Urban heat often affects lower income neighborhoods and communities of color who have suffered from decades old policies that reinforced racial segregation in cities and diverted investment away from minority neighborhoods in ways that created large disparities in where trees were planted and government resources were allocated.
The GAF Cool Community Project-Pacoima will also capture scientific research. The project will be monitored by Altostratus, who developed the State of California’s Urban Heat Island Index. Altostratus will collect data prior to project implementation, to establish a baseline. Then, after the cool pavements are installed, a mobile monitor will measure the surface and air temperature, as well as the reflectivity of the pavement. A control area will also be monitored the social benefits such as outdoor comfort and heat awareness will also be assessed. We will work with local artists and community members to beautify the area with murals, art and storytelling.
