As summer temperatures continue to sizzle, a unique project in Canada Bay, New South Wales has revitalised a local shopping strip by cooling down the streets.
Australia has about 810,000 kilometres of public roads and local councils are responsible for about 80 per cent of that figure.
In urban areas, roads generate a significant amount of heat, helping to lead to what’s known as the ‘heat island effect’ and meaning cities are much hotter than surrounding areas.
This can prove damaging to local businesses, particularly throughout summer months when shopping strips can heat up to uncomfortable levels.
The City of Canada Bay in Sydney’s inner west undertook a project to counteract this effect and allow residents to enjoy their local shopping strip on Victoria Street in the suburb of Concord West.
The strip is located in full sun throughout the day and businesses were struggling as a result.
As the roads were up for renewal, Council decided to implement a suite of innovative road products, including white asphalt, in an effort to ease temperatures.
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) helped partner Downer EDI and the Council. Downer provided four products for the project: the white asphalt, called Ascrete; TonerPave, which utilises toner from recycled printer cartridges; Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP); and warm mix.
The white asphalt helps reflect heat and reduce ambient temperatures by about two degrees. Road temperatures have dropped by eight degrees.
The toner from 8000 used toner cartridges was used in the project, which represents 20 per cent of printer and photocopier consumption in Canada Bay.
The new asphalt pavements also incorporated 40 per cent recycled asphalt and 100 per cent of the old Victoria Avenue pavements was reused to construct a local car park.
Manager City Assets at Canada Bay, John Earls, said both visitor numbers and behaviour has changed as a result of the project, which was completed in late 2015.
“The shopkeepers used to have very elaborate shading structures within the street, but that hit their street presence. You couldn’t really see the shop windows.”
Peak heat time has been extended from 1 pm until 2 pm, meaning alfresco diners are likely to stay for longer.
Mr Earls said as well as the notable road technology, the project was also a holistic place making exercise – the strip became branded as Concord West Sustainable Village – and significant community engagement and education brought residents along throughout the journey.
Council staff formed a cross-departmental team to tackle the project comprising: City Assets, Environment, Waste, Place and Community and Public Relations teams.
“Normally when you renew a road, all you get is complaints,” said Mr Earls, but residents were reportedly happy with the process.
Canada Bay Mayor Helen McAffrey said the project has been well received and the community engagement aspect was important to Council: “Any project that we embark on we try to take the community with us.”
Fostering social connectedness was an underpinning aim of the project.
“If councils can keep their local shopping strips cooler, then people are more inclined to leave their car at home… and [it] encourages people to walk, and while they’re walking they might bump into their neighbours and start forming community relationships,” said Mr Earls.
A few other councils have trialled white asphalt, although, Mr Earls said the City of Canada Bay is the first to purposefully apply it to achieve a social outcome.
In 2014 a trial of white pavement was implemented in a warehouse area in Chippendale in the City of Sydney, which was used as a reference for Canada Bay’s project. The Inner West Council has also trialled similar technology.
Increasing tree canopy is also a critical aspect of reducing the heat island effect.
The Concord West Sustainable Village project won the 2016 Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) NSW State and National Awards for Innovation.
