Rubber-Modified Asphalt A Potential Urban Heat Island Mitigation Strategy In Marginalized Communities

Climate change coupled with the urban heat island pose significant heat risks to urban areas, particularly within socio-economically disadvantaged communities. This team, in collaboration with The Ray, City of Atlanta, Pirelli Tires, and ESRI, is evaluating innovative heat mitigation strategies that could revolutionize the way roadways are constructed and reduce heat exposure. The Ray is a Georgia-based nonprofit organization that has constructed the nation’s only publicly accessible, living laboratory for transportation innovation. Working in partnership with The Ray and Pirelli Tires, the team is investigating whether rubber-modified pavements are cooler than traditional asphalt surfaces. With established partnerships between The Ray and The City of Atlanta, a segment of roadway within one of Atlanta’s hottest, disadvantaged communities is constructed with rubber-modified pavements. We employ in-situ and remotely sensed (hand-held and drone-based) measurements to evaluate the spatio-temporal changes in surface and air temperature above the experimental roadway and a nearby control roadway. Our ESRI partners have provided data and GIS frameworks to identify candidate roadways and display observational results. Preliminary frameworks and results will be presented.