Urban Ecology Blog Post #1

Introduction 

It's no secret that urbanization isn't always best for the environment. Because of things like dense populations, insulated buildings, carbon dioxide emissions, impervious surfaces and more, urban areas tend to become much hotter, more polluted, and overall just not always the most ideal environment. So what are some ways we can improve the living conditions in urban areas? We can improve them by implementing "smart surfaces" into our urban planning and design. In my post today, we'll talk about what smart surfaces are, different types of smart surfaces, and how they can help improve urban areas. 

Smart Surfaces

Smart surfaces include things like reflective materials, porous and permeable pavements, and green roofs (Smart Surfaces Coalition, 2024). Smart surfaces can reduce temperature, reduce stormwater runoff, and improve air quality (Aidan, 2021), overall making the living conditions in urban areas better. 

Reflective Materials 

Reflective materials can include things like light-colored roofs, walls, and pavements. Reflective materials will help reflect sunlight, reducing how much heat is absorbed, which will keep the urban area cooler ("Using low-impact materials: Reflective materials | asla.org" 2024). However, reflective materials can sometimes be problematic depending on the location of the urban city. The light that's reflected can actually end up changing weather patterns, which will affect the organisms in that area. 

(example of dark-colored pavement vs light-colored pavement)

Porous And Permeable Pavements

Porous and permeable pavements are surfaces like pavers, concrete, and asphalt which have open pores and an underlying stone reservoir (Selbig, 2019). These types of pavements can help reduce stormwater runoff, water pollution, and flood risk (Smart Surfaces Coalition, 2024). They can also lower temperatures through evaporative cooling (Smart Surfaces Coalition, 2024). Although, people do have concerns about the durability, upkeep, and maintenance of these types of pavements (Selbig, 2019). 

(examples of permeable pavements)

Green Roofs

Green roofs are "living, breathing entities that absorb rainwater, reduce heat absorption, and improve air quality" (Smart Surfaces Coalition, 2024). They can also help reduce stormwater runoff, cool buildings, improve air quality, and they also provide habitats for urban plant and wildlife (Smart Surfaces Coalition, 2024).  

(example of green roofs)

Conclusion 

To summarize, "smart surfaces" are surfaces used in urban planning and design to help improve the living conditions in urban areas. Different types of smart surfaces include reflective materials, porous and permeable pavements, and green roofs. All of which improve the urban area by reducing temperature, reducing stormwater runoff, and improving air quality. 

(undeveloped land when urban sprawl occurs) 

References

Aidan, H. (2021, September 10). Smart surfaces, smart cities: Reducing heat and promoting equity in urban areas. Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. https://climate.law.columbia.edu/content/smart-surfaces-smart-cities-reducing-heat-and-promoting-equity-urban-areas#!/%23:~:text=Smart%20surfaces%20reduce%20temperatures%20in,for%20electricity%20to%20cool%20buildings

Selbig, W. (2019, March 17). Evaluating the potential benefits of permeable pavement on the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff | U.S. geological survey. USGS.gov | Science for a changing world. https://www.usgs.gov/centers/upper-midwest-water-science-center/science/evaluating-potential-benefits-permeable-pavement#:~:text=Permeable%20pavement%20is%20a%20porous%20urban%20surface%20composed%20of%20open,discharge%20via%20a%20drain%20tile

(2024). Smart Surfaces Coalition. https://smartsurfacescoalition.org/

Using low-impact materials: Reflective materials | asla.org. (2024). American Society of Landscape Architects. https://www.asla.org/reflectivematerials.aspx