A new initiative from the Smart Surfaces Coalition seeks to support U.S. cities in enhancing climate resilience through innovative urban infrastructure. The coalition announced the launch of a peer learning network designed to connect city officials with valuable resources, funding opportunities, and strategies for implementing “smart surfaces” projects.
About the Smart Surfaces Coalition
The Smart Surfaces Coalition is a collaboration of over 40 organizations, including the National League of Cities, the American Planning Association, and the American Lung Association. The group promotes climate-resilient urban infrastructure such as reflective, porous, and green surfaces, alongside solar panels and tree canopy enhancements.
The coalition has been actively supporting climate-focused urban projects, such as cool pavement coatings, green roofs, and porous pavement, to mitigate urban heat islands and improve stormwater management. These efforts aim to address challenges posed by rising temperatures and increasingly intense storms linked to climate change.
Details of the Peer Learning Network
The peer learning network, launched on Monday, provides a platform for city officials to collaborate and access a variety of tools to scale up smart surface projects. Key features include:
- Quarterly Meetings: Beginning in 2025, participants will convene to share insights and strategies.
- Exclusive Resources: Members will gain access to curated data, model ordinances, funding opportunities, grant templates, and product databases.
- Practical Lessons: The network will share learnings from the coalition’s prior work with cities nationwide.
City officials interested in participating can register on the coalition’s website.
Background on Urban Challenges and Solutions
Urban areas face mounting challenges as climate change exacerbates extreme weather events. Dense infrastructure, such as buildings and roads, absorbs and re-emits heat, creating urban heat islands with higher temperatures than surrounding areas. Additionally, extensive concrete surfaces and outdated drainage systems often fail to manage stormwater effectively, leading to increased flooding risks.
Smart surface projects provide solutions to these issues. Examples include:
- Cool pavements: Cities like Los Angeles and Phoenix have adopted reflective coatings to reduce heat absorption.
- Green infrastructure: Chicago is improving its green stormwater infrastructure, while Boston has introduced green roofs on bus shelters.
- Porous pavement: New York City began a large-scale implementation of porous pavement on seven miles of road in Brooklyn earlier this year.
Other Smart Surfaces Coalition Initiatives
The peer learning network builds on previous coalition efforts, including its partnership with 10 major U.S. cities in 2023 to advance smart surfaces adoption. The organization also leads the Cool Roadways Partnership, which facilitates discussions among municipalities and researchers about cool pavement technologies and their implementation.
Looking Ahead
As cities continue to grapple with the impacts of climate change, the Smart Surfaces Coalition’s new network offers an opportunity for communities to share resources and strategies, ultimately aiming to build more resilient urban environments.