Washington, DC -- With temperatures spiking across the country this summer, top American cities are no longer waiting for the federal government to save them. They are using their own resources, plus partnerships with innovative non-profits, to drive down the sweltering heat in metropolitan areas.
Already, 11 major US cities including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, New Orleans, Phoenix, Portland and many others are adopting “smart surfaces” to lower the heat in dense urban areas burdened by dark, impervious surfaces including roofs, roads, and parking lots. The use of smart surfaces -- reflective roofs and roads, permeable pavements, green stormwater infrastructure, and shade trees -- can reduce peak summer air temperatures by up to 7°F or more in hot neighborhoods. These smart surfaces also dramatically cut electricity bills and improve human health.
“We’re cooking our cities. They’re getting so hot every summer, it’s like we’ve turned the broiler to high. We’re making it increasingly dangerous for kids, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations,” says Greg Kats, CEO of the non-profit Smart Surfaces Coalition, which has partnered with the 11 US cities and surrounding metro areas. “But we can easily lower the heat, and cut electricity bills, by installing cool roofs and other smart surfaces that reflect a majority of solar heat.”
Kats and his team have detailed satellite maps that analyze heat, neighborhood by neighborhood, to show the cooling potential of reflective roofs and other smart surfaces in the 11 cities versus leafy suburban and rural areas. “As the Trump Administration has raced to eliminate climate funding and solutions across the US, major American cities are stepping up,” Kats said. In addition to the 11 cities already working on smart surfaces solutions, another 20 US cities and counties have signed letters of interest to do the same.
Across the 11 cities -- home to more than 9 million people -- citywide adoption of Smart Surfaces can deliver $7.6 billion in public health benefits, $3.3 billion in electricity bill reductions, and $9.9 billion in infrastructure savings, while also reducing or offsetting 79 million metric tons of CO₂e and managing 275 billion gallons of stormwater, Kats said.
"Designing healthier cities is paramount in the reality of our rapidly warming world. Outdated, heat-trapping surfaces put millions at risk -- especially in underserved neighborhoods,” added Georges C. Benjamin, MD, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association. “The Smart Surfaces Coalition’s new tools give cities the power to design healthier, cooler, and more resilient communities.”
About the Smart Surfaces Coalition:
The Smart Surfaces Coalition has partnered with 40 leading national and international organizations with a shared commitment to creating cooler, healthier, and more resilient cities by reducing the impacts of extreme urban heat and flooding. Smart Surfaces — reflective, porous, and green urban surfaces along with trees and solar PV — can cut peak summer citywide temperatures, decrease flood risk, and improve public health, with the greatest improvements in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.
