Infrastructure & Trees
Cooler Sidewalks
Our Cool Sidewalks study with American U’s Mike Alonzo and his class
Alonzo is taking data from around DC on ground-level air temperatures. Temperatures, by time of day, are correlated with surface type (brick, pavement, roadway, white crosswalk paint), sidewalk edges (cement, mulch, grass), shade from buildings and – TREES.
The result can inform designers of sidewalk and street infrastructure projects so that ground-level air will be cooler and healthier.
Restore Mass Ave was honored that Alonzo had his students make field observations at the Dupont Tree Plaza site and surrounding streets. Their instruments measured temperature under different conditions – deep shade (double rows of trees), single rows, scraggly trees, none, and different surfaces such as road way paints. The students took data on the same routes at different times of day as well.
We will update the page with results from the 2022 project. The slides below tell why such projects are important to cooling the city.
