A Field-Scale Assessment of the Impact of Conventional and Permeable Concrete Pavements on Surface and Air Temperatures

Environmental impacts, such as elevated temperatures due to urban heat islands (UHIs), associated with land cover change due to urbanization, should not be ignored. In contrast to conventional impermeable concrete, permeable pavements have been implemented as green infrastructure strategies for achieving environmental benefits, such as stormwater management. Their impacts and benefits on other environmental aspects should not be ignored, especially for those with limited discussion in the literature. Therefore, this study monitored the surface and air temperatures of three types of pavements: conventional impermeable concrete (IC), pervious concrete (PC), and the patented JW Eco-technology (JW). As UHIs are more intense in the summer, temperature profiles during targeted periods when surface temperatures exceeded 40 °C for consecutive days were examined. In addition, as an available option at the study site, shade was created to evaluate its effect on surface temperatures across the pavement systems. Overall, the annual average surface and air temperatures of the three pavements were similar. However, seasonal and diurnal variations in temperatures were both observed, suggesting summer was the season when the differences in temperatures among pavements were most noticeable. Investigation during the targeted periods revealed that the average surface temperatures of PC were 2.4–2.7 °C and 3.2–3.3 °C higher than those observed on IC and JW, and the average air temperature of PC was 1.8 °C greater than that of IC and JW between 12:00 and 16:00. On the contrary, the average surface temperatures of PC were significantly lower than those on IC (1.3–1.4 °C) and JW (1.5 °C) between 21:00 and 5:00. Results also indicate that shade was an effective way to alleviate the high surface temperatures during the warm hours by lowering surface temperatures 21.0 °C, 15.4 °C, and 15.0 °C, for PC, IC, and JW, respectively. Finally, temperatures associated with the aqueducts of JW Eco-technology and the impacts on overall surface temperatures will be discussed.