Policy Solution

Light pavement

Mandate

Overview:

Summary: Light-colored materials and reflective coatings or overlays serve to reflect heat instead of absorbing and retaining it. In addition to decreasing temperatures, these treatments can also extend the pavement lifetime.

Implementation: Set mandates such as zoning amendments to use lighter and more reflective materials for any repaving.

Considerations for Use: Consider who uses the pavements, how, and what is surrounding the area to determine if reflective pavements are appropriate to implement. Local technology and product availability may also determine implementation cost.

  • Policy Levers:

    MandateMandates are government regulations that require stakeholders to meet standards through building codes, ordinances, zoning policies, or other regulatory tools.
  • Trigger Points:

    City planning processesIncludes city initiatives such as the development of climate action plan, pathway to zero-energy, master plan, transit plan, energy mapping etc.
    Introducing new or updated zoning/codesIncludes codes, zoning requirements or by-laws pertaining to urban planning and building construction activity.
    No-regrets actions (low cost/low effort but substantial benefit)Interventions that are relatively low-cost and low effort (in terms of requisite dependencies) but have substantial environmental and/or social benefits.
  • Intervention Type:
    Buildings and Built Form
  • Sectors:
    Public Works, Transportation

    Impact:

  • Target Beneficiaries:
    Residents
  • Phase of Impact:
    Risk reduction and mitigation
  • Metrics:
    Total area repaved

Implementation:

  • Intervention Scale:
    Site
  • Authority and Governance:
    City government
  • Implementation Timeline:
    Short-term (1-2 Years)
  • Implementation Stakeholders:
    City government, Private developers, Property owners and managers
  • Funding Sources:
    private investment, Public investment
  • Capacity to Act:
    High, Medium

    Benefits:

  • Cost-Benefit:
    Low
  • Public Good:
    Medium
  • GHG Reduction:
    N/A
  • Co-benefits (Climate/Environmental):
    N/A
  • Co-benefits (Social):
    N/A