The asphalt industry has a heat problem — and cities are running out of patience

At the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission headquarters in Virginia, staff knew their crumbling asphalt parking lot was in desperate need of repair. But instead of replacing the lot with more dark blacktop, the group chose an alternative. The new parking lot, completed last year, includes porous concrete panels and areas with native plants and recycled materials to make the lot cooler and less prone to flooding. With the new panels, “the rain infiltrates faster than it can puddle and stop on the surface,” said Jill Sunderland, the commission’s senior water resources planner. “You notice too, that it’s cooler,” Sunderland added. “You really can tell a difference out there … not to mention it’s just more inviting.” The project is one example of how dozens of cities and other groups around the U.S. are using alternatives to traditional asphalt lots in order beat the heat and curb water runoff — especially as climate change worsens. The City of New Orleans has required its Department of Public Works to use permeable paving in lots and other spaces where practical. In Indianapolis, the Newfields art museum transformed one parking lot to include bioretention rain gardens and another with a permeable grid instead of traditional blacktop. Denver’s dePaving a Greener Denver initiative is looking to slash the city’s cover of parking lots and other impervious surfaces. Another way cities are cutting back on pavement is by dropping regulations that require a minimum number of parking spaces for new residential or commercial buildings. Buffalo, New York; Austin, Texas; and Minneapolis are among the cities that have changed these policies in recent years. Asphalt industry representatives, meanwhile, are touting advances in that material while also cautioning that parking lot owners should carefully consider the durability of any non-asphalt alternative. Here’s a look at a variety of alternatives to traditional lots. Cooling technologies and shading In some down