Permeable Pavement

How Permeable Pavement Improves Sustainability

The world is increasingly facing the brunt of global warming and climate change. Cities need green cooling methods to improve air quality. In addition to green landscaping and renewable energy usage, permeable pavements are becoming a standard in urban planning.

What Is Permeable Pavement?

Permeable pavement is an alternative to walkways and roads that improves stormwater management and reduces conventional pavement’s environmental impact. It’s designed with porosity in mind to ensure rainwater and snow melt seep through and are recycled or stored in a reservoir for slow release or future use.

Many types of permeable pavement materials exist, including interlocking pavers, porous asphalt, and concrete and grass pavers. Interlocking pavers are brick or concrete blocks arranged to allow water to pass through the gaps into the ground, whereas grass pavers have cells planted with turf.

Three Ways Permeable Pavements Enhance Sustainability

Permeable pavements work in many ways to improve sustainability and elevate the green lifestyle in an urban environment.

Address Urban Heat Islands

Traditional pavements use heat-trapping materials like concrete and asphalt, which increase the temperature in the surrounding areas by absorbing warmth and radiating it into the air above. Pavements with asphalt can cause temperatures to reach 152 degrees Fahrenheit in the afternoons.

This elevated temperature contributes to urban heat islands, where the temperature increases in one area compared to neighboring regions. Urban heat islands can cause pollution and heat-related illnesses and increase greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, disruption of sustainability can worsen the effects of climate change.

Permeable pavements include green materials such as pervious concrete, porous asphalt, permeable interlocking concrete pavers, plastic and concrete grids and amended soils. Most of these materials have cooling abilities, reducing heat absorption. In addition, these pavements improve the breathability of the ground, providing better air transfer and heat reduction.

Reduce Flash Floods

Permeable pavements drain water into the ground, decreasing the chances of flash floods, especially in urban settings, where heavy rain can cause sudden surges in water pooling in parking lots, roads, and sidewalks. By implementing permeable pavements, local governments can optimize flood management efforts.

In addition, pooling rainwater usually sweeps dried leaves, rubbish, and debris into the drains, obstructing stormwater systems. This further contributes to flash flooding problems and various damage in the city. Blocked drains can also destroy the structural integrity of underground plumbing.

In an industrial setting, companies dealing with stormwater management must conduct inspections four times yearly to ensure standards adherence. Missed assessments can contribute to various environmental problems.

When the water from the drains overflows, contaminants spill into the roads and disrupt the natural ecosystem. This can also cause air and odor pollution. Permeable pavements can avoid these issues, allowing better flood and stormwater management, which may be more necessary as climate change makes extreme weather more common.

Enhance Energy Efficiency and Resource Allocation

As mentioned above, elevated temperatures cause urban heat islands. This also increases energy consumption because buildings use their heating and cooling systems more frequently.

Heating and cooling use significant power — about 50 percent of global consumption, which accounts for 40 percent of electricity-related carbon dioxide. Permeable pavements absorb less heat, thus improving the surrounding temperature. This reduces the heat in buildings and optimizes the usage of heating and cooling systems. These structures can then improve their energy efficiency and focus on enhancing other aspects of their sustainability efforts.

Apart from energy, permeable pavements could also address the groundwater depletion crisis. Of the world’s 37 largest aquifers, 21 are not filling up quickly enough. Considering groundwater makes up about 30% of the world’s freshwater supply, this can become a significant issue.

With some types of permeable pavements, when it rains, the water not absorbed by the soil fills the groundwater tables. This can be used during droughts or when water reservoirs are critically low, allowing better resource allocation in residential areas. In addition, other permeable pavements hold the water in an underground reservoir and release it slowly to benefit the adjacent soil and plants.