The Heat Island Impact

Most likely, you have experienced the sometimes drastic difference in heat levels when moving from a sidewalk to the street.  The street’s asphalt, like other dark building materials and dark paint, soak up and attract more heat.  The heat soaked in from the sunshine is slowly released it into the atmosphere.  Where there is little to no tree canopy, this causes a heat island. In these areas, the temperature is higher due to the heat released by these materials and keeps the temperature higher longer throughout the night.  

For areas with a high percentage of asphalt, the temperature will consistently register higher than other areas of the same city.  With the current below freezing temperatures, that may seem like a nice alternative.  However, it can have a long-term negative impact on air quality and habitat.  It also increases energy use that businesses and others expend to maintain temperatures within buildings.





Depave projects like the effort underway in the Duwamish Valley work to break up these heat islands by tearing up unnecessary asphalt and replacing it with some greenery. These plants and shrubbery spice up and beautify the area while helping the atmosphere and environment cool down and keep our planet a little bit healthier. 

Interested in learning more?  Check out: EPA Heat Island Basics and Vegetation and Urban Heat Islands

Contact us if you want to get involved in the Depave effort! Learn more about the effort here.

What is Depave the Duwamish?

Sustainable Seatttle and Urban Systems Design are excited to announce "Depave the Duwamish," an effort to partner with interested property owners in the Duwamish Valley to transform excess asphalt into green spaces.  Launched in October 2014, this effort aims to identify 10,000 square feet of unnecessary asphalt on private property across multiple sites and replace it with natural resource improvements, adding beauty and improving the experience for customers and employees.

This project, inspired by "Depave" model out of Portland, will remove asphalt with the help of community power, recycle the asphalt, and replace it with trees and other greenery.  Check out how the Highland Park Improvement Club transformed their parking lot with Depave: Greening HPIC.

Why?

Let's be honest - miles and miles of asphalt does not add beauty to a community.  While it is often needed, excess asphalt can become something more beautiful that benefits the neighborhood and the environment.  When you transform to green, you can reduce the impact of heat islands, improve water quality through infiltration, improve air quality, provide habitat for birds and butterflies, improve safety, and contribute to a positive experience for customers and employees.   

Over the next couple of weeks, stay tuned to learn more about the impacts of transforming asphalt into green.

The Project Details

So far, we have used data analysis and community input to develop a list of feasible sites.  These sites contain impermeable surfaces, are disconnected from the combined sewer system, and are not known toxic clean-up sites.  The area to be potentially depaved can range from 500 square feet to 5,000 square feet.  Now we are looking to the community and property owners to partner  with us.

Do you know of a portion of property or parking lot where the addition of trees or plants would improve customers' or workers' experiences, neighborhood health and beautification?  Is it yours?  Contact us to see if its on the list of feasible sites!

If the property is a good it and the property owner is interested in partnering with us, we can assist with developing site plans, coordinating construction, and planting the greenery.  Funding from King County Green Grants and King Conservation District enables us to fund asphalt removal, tree planting and other greenery.

We will also be sure to tell the transformation story broadly!

Our goal is to identify potential sites for mid-December - so contact us at cari@urbansystemsdesign.com soon to learn more!  We are interested in working with multiple sites to reach our goal.