A study published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that certain paving material could lead to reduced heat retained by surface. According to the study, pavement covers about 40% of the surfaces of United States cities. As a result, the impermeable paving material absorbs solar radiation and causes an increase an air temperature through the Urban Heat Island Effect. For this reason, the researches at the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub looking into paving materials that would limit the amount of solar energy absorbed. They discovered that by implementing the "cooler" materials, the air temperature in Phoenix could be reduced by an average of 3.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

"We can build cool pavements in many different ways," says Randolph Kirchain, a researcher in the Materials Science Laboratory and co-director of the Concrete Sustainability Hub. "Brighter materials like concrete and lighter-colored aggregates offer higher albedo (a measure of surface reflectivity), while existing asphalt pavements can be made 'cool' through reflective coatings."

https://news.mit.edu/2021/countering-climate-change-cool-pavements-0822