Urban Heat Implications from Parking, Roads, and Cars: a Case Study of Metro Phoenix

ABSTRACT

To understand the transportation sector’s role on influencing and mitigating heat in cities, this research quantifies added heat from pavement infrastructure and vehicle travel in the hot and automobile dependent metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. Construction of a one-dimensional heat transfer model for local weather conditions and pavement design is combined with vehicle travel densities to simulate spatiotemporal sensible heat flux magnitudes. In metro Phoenix, sensible heat from pavements and vehicles is comprised of 67% from roadways, 29% from parking, and 3.9% vehicles. Concrete and asphalt pavement emit 15% and 37% more sensible heat compared to the bare ground, respectively. Added sensible heat from pavement peaks during summer afternoons when heat emissions relative to the ground are 26% and 46% greater for concrete and asphalt. Results indicate pavement infrastructure contributes significantly to Phoenix’s urban heat balance, and areas surrounding busy vehicle corridors may be undesirable for outdoor activities during summer rush hours.

KEYWORDS:

• Heat
• pavement
• transportation
• parking
• Phoenix

Acknowledgments

Funding for the research was made possible by a Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship (#693JJ31845020) and the following National Science Foundation awards: A Simulation Platform to Enhance Infrastructure and Community Resilience to Extreme Heat Events (#1635490); and Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (#1444755).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Federal Highway Administration [693JJ31845020]; National Science Foundation [1444755]; National Science Foundation [1635490].

Notes on contributors

Christopher G. Hoehne

Christopher G. Hoehne, Ph.D is a research scientist focused on understanding the energy and socioeconomic impacts of urban transportation systems to embolden pathways towards sustainable, equitable, and productive mobility.

Mikhail V. Chester

Mikhail V. Chester, Ph.D. is Director of the Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering at ASU and focuses on preparing infrastructure and their institutions for the challenges of the coming century.

David J. Sailor

David J. Sailor, Ph.D. is a Professor in Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and Director of the Urban Climate Research Center at ASU who researches the intersection of climate with the built environment.

David A. King

David A. King, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at ASU who focuses on intersections between transportation, land use, and economics.