Cool pavements can intensify pedestrian heat exposure

Solar reflective pavement — coated with a pale grey asphalt emulsion paint — can lower the surface temperature of urban roads and walkways by reflecting, rather than absorbing, incident heat (from sunlight). This has led cities to pilot this solution to mitigate the urban heat island (UHI) effect. However, a study investigating the impact that reflected heat has in urban neighbourhoods finds that this type of pavement can intensify heat stress for pedestrians during the hottest times of the day by increasing radiant temperatures (heat load on the body).