Exploring the Impact of Pavement Materials on Surface and Air Temperatures in Arid Climates

The paper investigates the impact of retrofitting pavements in a neighborhood setting, with a specific focus on mitigating the urban heat island (UHI) effect during the summer. The study aims to predict improvements to surface and air temperature at pedestrians’ level using urban modelling, utilizing ENVI-met software. The research observes key environmental parameters such as ambient air temperature and mean radiant temperature for validation. By comparing different scenarios to a base case, the study evaluates the overall efficiency of proposed interventions, such as white topping and permeable interlocking. The results indicate that both the white topping and permeable sidewalk showed surface temperatures close to the ambient air temperature, with the permeable interlocking sidewalk having the lowest average surface temperature throughout the day. Additionally, the permeable interlocking sidewalk exhibited lower air temperatures compared to the base case during the daytime, and after 19:00, it slightly outperformed the white topping in reducing air temperature. This research contributes to our understanding of how pavement retrofit technologies can be evaluated on a neighborhood scale, providing valuable insights for making strategic decisions regarding the implementation of sustainable pavement technologies in cities.