Two main contributors to heating our urban areas are pavements and roads. Typically, these surfaces cover 25-50 per cent of the urban landscape, and are usually impermeable, hard and heavy. During summer, peak temperatures can reach well above 60°C, resulting in these surfaces requiring considerably more time to cool down.
Council has collaborated with Parramatta City and Blacktown Council and is utilising the research expertise of Western Sydney University, to pilot a product that has demonstrated reduced surface temperatures by up to 14°C on average.
The product is a bitumen based sealcoat, which has been applied to two existing car park surfaces - H.J Daley Library carpark and the Council staff carpark, south side.
Western Sydney University has also installed a number of air temperature sensors to monitor the cooling benefits.