Ancient Civilizations Used These Simple Measures to Cool Cities Down -- Why Can't We Do the Same?

[Judi Lynn]

People have recognized the power of cities to heat themselves up and cool themselves for centuries.

by Brian Stone Jr. and The Conversation
7 hours

As intense heat breaks records around the world, a little-reported fact offers some hope for cooling down cities: Under even the most intense periods of extreme heat, some city blocks never experience heat wave temperatures.

How is this possible?

Civilizations have recognized the power of cities to heat themselves up and cool themselves for centuries. City architects in ancient Rome called for narrowing streets to lessen late afternoon temperatures. Narrow streets were found to cool the air by limiting the area exposed to direct sunlight.

The whitewashed architecture of the Greek Isles demonstrates another long-practiced strategy. Light-colored walls and roofs can help cool cities by reflecting incoming sunlight.

In hot and humid regions of the southern US, Thomas Jefferson proposed another approach to cooling: Have all new settlements employ a checkerboard pattern of heavily vegetated city blocks interspersed among dense construction. That could promote cooling through convective air movement between cool and warm zones.

More:
https://www.inverse.com/science/ancient-civilizations-used-these-simple-measures-to-cool-cities-down-why-cant-we-do-the-same

[PufPuf23]

1. Passive design with nature. nt

[Phoenix61]

2. I'm in Florida and I will never understand why anyone

would paint their house black and/or use black shingles here. A friend told me he had a neighbor who painted his house black and saw his power bill jump 30%. He quickly had it repainted. Mine is lovely Porcelain Peach. When it comes time for a new roof it will be white.

[SheltieLover]

3. I'm in the gawd forsaken south

And cannot comprehend why all the roofs are black here.

I love my "cool roof," which reflects 20% of the sun's heat. (The highest rating I could buy.) Absolutely love it!

[spinbaby]

4. Wind towers were used in the middle east

Traditional wind towers provided passive cooling in the Middle East and looked good, too. Traditional architecture in hot climates provides air circulation, shade, and often water features. Contrast that to the American south where you’ll often see a mobile home situated without any shade whatsoever—unlivable without air conditioning.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

5. White highways. Solar panel shading of parking lots.