Cities around the world are adjusting – and in some cases overhauling – their infrastructure in an effort to cool temperatures in their areas. Los Angeles and New York City, for example, have adopted “grey infrastructure” efforts, like applying coatings to roofs and roads so that they reflect, and not absorb, the heat.

A story in last week’s INSIDER highlighted efforts from the University of Pittsburgh to optimize the placement of heat-reflecting surfaces in cities. The team’s study asserted that implementation pf reflective surfaces at the edges of an urban area, alongside the wind, will provide a more efficient, cost-effective temperature reduction in cities. 

"If the ideal solution of modifying every surface is too difficult, are there less-than-ideal ways, like modifying just a fraction of surfaces, to reduce air temperature?” Sen told Tech Briefs.

What do you think? Should Cities be More Strategic with Reflective Surfaces?

What do you think?