Chicago is using pervious pavements and reflective materials on its 1,900 miles of alleys to reduce flooding, cut demand on storm sewers, and decrease the city's urban heat island effect. The program is so successful that they are expanding it.
Back in 2004, Chicago's Department Of Transportation had no concept of how to build roads and alleys using pervious materials.
Janet L. Attarian writes, "To overcome this obstacle, the department led an aggressive design and investigative process that involved collecting best practices and sample specifications from around the country. CDOT developed its own specifications through a collaborative process involving CDOT staff, the design team, and a materials testing consultant. Together, they established a series of goals, tested the ideas in a laboratory, and then reviewed the results until the final mix designs, materials, and methods were solidified."
The DOT embarked on a number of pilot projects to test out their new-found knowledge, detailed in the full article.
Thanks to Triskele Jim
Read the full story: Greener Alleys
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Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello