High Albedo Interlocking Concrete Block Pavement for Urban Heat Island Mitigation

The combined effects of global warming and urbanisation have intensified the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon and thermal stress, especially in the summer season. This study develops an integrated multi-scale framework to quantify the sustainability in terms of the thermal performance of high albedo interlocking concrete block pavement (ICBP) in the city of Turin, Italy. The framework combines: (1) experimental campaigns to establish baseline albedo values, using an albedometer (in accordance with the standard ASTM E1918-21 and E1980-24); (2) in situ measurements to assess the performance of ICBP in three parking areas; (3) satellite analysis using Landsat 8-9 and Sentinel-2 images to derive the land surface temperature (LST) and quantify changes in the surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII). In situ measurements showed an average albedo of 0.20 for ICBP, lower values for aged surfaces and about 0.08 for asphalt. Satellite analysis confirmed the effectiveness of the substitution of asphalt surface pavements with ICBP, revealing an increase of over 30% in both the average albedo and the solar reflectance index (SRI). These results are also combined with the 15% decrease in SUHII. Combining on-site measurements and satellite analysis provides a comprehensive framework for quantifying surface urban heat island effects and thermal performances of more sustainable road pavements. These findings support high albedo ICBP as an effective strategy for UHI mitigation.