In these pedestrian settings and areas of municipalities, concrete pavers have several structural advantages over other upscale pavements. Pavers from all reputable manufacturers meet or exceed ASTM requirements that units be more than twice as dense as most poured-in-place concrete (8,000psi) and absorb only about a third as much water as does poured-in-place concrete (>5%). These are very strong, dense paving stones that are very difficult to break when installed properly. The low water absorption rate is a real advantage in heavy freeze-thaw climates. Water leaches down into concrete and freezes, causing cracking and chipping as time goes by. Concrete pavers absorb much less water and are much stronger than poured concrete and some other paving materials, resulting in a pavement that is fully functional for many more years. This density is also a real advantage when the pavement is inundated with deicers, as most heavily used sidewalks and plaza areas are in areas with harsh winters. The deicers do not penetrate the concrete pavers to any great degree and generally do not permanently discolor the pavement. Many upscale paving surfaces are indeed marred by deicers, with irreversible consequences.

Tests performed on busy street intersections prove that truly interlocking concrete pavers (units that are of a size and shape that can be laid in patterns that spread load well to neighboring units) actually become more secure as load frequency increases. The more a pavement is used, the better it gets. A key reason for this is that the coarse, jagged-edged sand particles in the joints between pavers become increasingly wedged together as load frequency and direction intensifies, causing better paver stability.

Another added bonus of a concrete paver system is that ugly and costly expansion joints are almost never needed. Every joint between every paver is, in essence, a mini-expansion joint and keeps the entire pavement flexible, allowing it to expand and contract with weather changes. Subsoil movement?EUR??,,????'????EUR??,,????'???so common over much of the United States?EUR??,,????'????EUR??,,????'???will rarely cause a paver system to crack because it is so flexible.

Paver manufacturers are also responsible for having developed an educated and highly competent contractor base to install their products. The industry has initiated an aggressive training program to get virtually all larger commercial contractors ICPI (Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute) certified.