COLUMBIA, S.C. — The city of Columbia is looking for ways to cool down.
The city announced it will join four other cities in partnering with Smart Surfaces Coalition, including New Orleans, Dallas, Atlanta, and Boston.
The multi-state partnership was created to guide cities' next development steps, focusing on environmentally friendly surfaces.
According to a press release from the city, the goal of this partnership is to lower cities' temperatures through smart surfaces.
Smart surfaces include reflective roofs and pavements, solar energy, porous pavements, rain gardens, and trees.
The press release also states, "As cities continue to grapple with record heat, America's mayors are responding with bold action to implement this no-brainer solution. Smart Surfaces can cool cities by 5°F, deliver large reductions in flooding and resulting mold, and provide $10 in benefits and cost savings for every $1 spent."
The mayor of Columbia, Daniel Rickenmann, said in a statement, "The Smart Surfaces Coalition is an excellent example of a partnership to achieve city objectives around heat reduction, public health, flood management, equity, and more," He adds, "As the city long known as being 'Famously Hot,' we are excited about working to advance Columbia's goals of becoming a cooler, healthier and more resilient city."
Kristen Grimm, a communications manager with Smart Surfaces Coalition, says the coalition does not cost money to join, and its services are also free.
She explained that the coalition gives direction when cities want to develop, concentrating on eco-friendly ideas.
She says, "It might be that they're getting ready to redo the roads, so let's put in roads that actually reflect the sun back, rather than trapping the heat in that neighborhood, so we'll find out where they are opportunities to make smart infrastructure decisions as they move forward. These are just decisions they are making anyways so you might as well make the smartest ones you can. We're also going to give them a way to talk about all of the cost benefits that will happen from doing this. so it's not just that it costs this much money, it's that it will cost this and it will have these benefits, everything from individual health to actual economic development."
The partnership is said to last three years, with a plan to bring five more cities into the coalition.