Smart Surfaces Coalition adds 5 cities, promotes reflective roofs, pavement

Around the United States, heat records are falling by the day—and with the climbing global temperature, extreme weather is increasingly becoming an issue for urban centers. Many are turning to infrastructure adaptations to cope with the current challenges and prepare for future extremes.

“This July 4 was the hottest day on Earth in recorded history. City residents worry and need city leaders to understand which surfaces can deliver cooler, healthier neighborhoods, save money and be implemented immediately,” said Greg Kats, founder and CEO of the Smart Surfaces Coalition, a coalition of about 50 national and international organizations including the American Planning Association, the National League of Cities, the World Cement Association, Habitat for Humanity, and the American Institute of Architects. “When cities embrace smart surfaces—from rooftops to roads—residents win.”

On Monday, the mayors of five American cities—Atlanta, Boston, Columbia, S.C., Dallas, and New Orleans signed onto the Cities for Smart Surfaces program, joining Baltimore, where coalition researchers studied the impact of smart surfaces over the last few years. They found that installing smart surfaces has a 10-to-one cost savings ratio. A statement from the organization estimates that cities receive $10 in benefits and cost savings for every $1 spent on smart surface solutions.

To that end, the Smart Surfaces Coalition promotes and facilitates investments in reflective roofs and pavements, green rooftops, solar energy, porous pavements, rain gardens and trees to cool cities and create more resilient communities.

“In Boston, climate change is not a far-off future concern—our residents are experiencing its effects now. Temperatures continue to rise, and more frequent and intense storms have led to both coastal and inland flooding across many Boston neighborhoods,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in the statement. “Joining the Smart Surfaces Coalition has given us access to new and vital tools that will help us make Boston a stronger, more resilient city for all of our residents.”

The municipal additions to the project is the result of a call that went out from the National League of Cities this spring, inviting mayors to partner with the organization to scale smart surfaces city-wide. The partnership helps participating cities by giving them access to satellite data, analysis and mapping, and through smart surface education and support for city staff members. They also get access to the Smart Surface Coalition’s online cost-benefit analysis tool, a host of industry-specific expertise and can receive technical support for funding opportunities and policy implimentation—with a focus especially on delivering smart surface solutions to low-income neighborhoods.

“Climate change is a lived reality for the city of New Orleans. From rapidly intensifying hurricanes and rainstorms to lengthier heat waves, the city continues to prepare for increased climate risks to our citizens and infrastructure,” said New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “That’s why we have joined the National League of Cities’ Smart Surfaces Coalition to receive technical assistance to study how we can transform our urban surfaces to make them more reflective and porous while increasing green spaces and reducing flood damage and peak summer temperatures. We were impressed by the results from the coalition’s pilot in Baltimore, particularly the overwhelming cost/benefit savings, and look forward to implementing these types of projects throughout our city.”

Among the findings of the reserach in Baltimore, the coalition concluded that dark, impervious surfaces are most often found in lower-income areas, resulting from structural inequality and prejudicial policies like redlining. A report created following the pilot study concluded that, if Baltimore underwent a city-wide smart surfaces revamp, it’d reduce summer heat, address structural inequality, protect tourism, expand jobs, increasse livability and public health, increase city revenue and protect the city’s credit rating.

“The Smart Surfaces Coalition is an excellent example of a partnership to achieve city objectives around heat reduction, public health, flood management, equity and more,” Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said. “As the city long known as being Famously Hot, we are excited about working to advance Columbia’s goals of becoming a cooler, healthier and more resilient city.”