As oil prices rise, so does the cost of asphalt. Concrete, historically more expensive, is now becoming a viable cost competitor. Because of its lighter shade, its also been shown to contribute less to climate change.
Concrete reflects more sun and cuts down on retained heat, reducing temperatures and the urban heat island effect. As the costs shift, it may become the pavement of choice.
"On the rhetorical battleground, one of the strongest anti-concrete arguments has always been: "So pricey!" But perhaps that is changing. In Minneapolis, when bids came in on a project that includes new bus lanes and wider sidewalks (on Marquette and Second Aves near the convention center, for those familiar with the local terrain) the concrete and asphalt options cost more or less the same, according to a local business paper.
The underlying trend here is that asphalt's price is closely tied to the price of oil. And when a barrel of crude when into three-digit land last year, asphalt was suddenly as expensive as concrete."
Read the full story: It’s Time For Climate-Friendly Concrete Roads
Las Vegas Faces a Challenging and Uncertain Environmental Future
Excessive heat will impact the desert city in the coming years, and major steps need to be taken now to change its course.
Hard Road Ahead
Michael J. Coren has a preview of an MIT report that lays out the economic and environmental benefits of stiffer pavement.
Study: Pavement covers 40% of Phoenix
A new study reveals how ultrafine particles emitted by pavement worsen air quality.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand
For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.
Boston has spent millions making the Green Line more accessible — and there’s no end in sight
While the city has invested millions into expanding and adding platforms to the Green Line to make it more accessible, new train cars set to arrive next year will be too tall for disabled passengers to board without raising the current platforms.
Idaho may see an 18% drop in federal surface transit funding — the largest estimated cut in the US
Transit systems in rural communities are much more reliant on federal funding to provide their services.
How ‘post-disaster gentrification’ alters neighborhoods after natural calamities
After hurricanes, fires or other calamities, the original residents of a community are often replaced by younger, wealthier residents.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello