THE ANSWERS HAVE CHANGED ALONG
WITH THE VIRUS.
>> Jason: I THINK YOU’VE HEARD
THIS OLD LYRIC.
THEY PAVED PARADISE AND PUT UP A
PARKING LOT.
THAT’S THE THEME SINCE WE PUT
THE WORLD ON WHEELS.
>> Karen: WITH THE EXTREME
WEATHER, THE PARKING LOTS AND
PAVEMENT POSES A BIG PROBLEM.
SO GRANT HERMES SHOWS US HOW
DEPAVING PARTS OF THE CITY COULD
BRING SURPRISING RESULTS.
>> Grant: FOR DECADES, CLIMATE
SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN WARNING
ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE IN DETROIT.
HEAT STRESS, SICKNESS, AND
FLOODING, WHICH WE SAW THIS
SUMMER, AND A LOT OF IT BEING
MADE WORSE BY LOTS JUST LIKE
THIS ONE.
OF DETROIT’S 139 SQUARE MILES,
75 ARE IMPERVIOUS, AND A LOT OF
IT IS PAVEMENT, ROADS, AND
SIDEWALKS.
IT’S HARD TO HAVE MOTOR CITY
WITHOUT PLACES TO DRIVE AND
PARK.
BUT IT’S ALSO DRIVING THE WORST
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
>> IT MEANS WE’RE FEEDING INTO
THIS LOOP OF WARMER DAYS, WARMER
TEMPERATURES, AND THEN WITH
PAVEMENT AND WITH BUILDINGS AND
CONCRETE, ALL OF THAT HEAT IS
ABSORBED AND THAT EXACERBATES
THE CLIMATE SITUATION AND
NOWHERE FOR THE HEAT TO GO.
>> Grant: THE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
PROFESSOR AT DETROIT MERCY.
HE IS TAKING ABOUT THE HEAT
ISLAND EFFECT AND DETROIT HAS
SOME OF THE WORST IN THE
COUNTRY.
CONCRETE AND ASPHALT ARE GOOD AT
TRAPPING HEAT FROM THE SUN MORE
THAN GRASS.
PAVEMENT HITTING TEMPERATURES
BETWEEN 120 AND 150 DEGREES,
COMPARED TO GRASS WHICH HAS BEEN
SHOWN TO BE SOMETIMES 40 DEGREES
COOLER THAN PAVEMENT.
THIS MAP FROM THE CITY OF
DETROIT SHOWS HOW MUCH OF
DETROIT IS PAVEMENT OR HARD
SURFACES THAT TRACK HEAT.
WHO ARE HEAT MEANS MORE HEAT
STRESS AND SICKNESS LIKE HEAT
STROKE.
AND THEN ALL THE FLOODING, ALL
THE HARD SURFACE MEANS WATER
DOESN’T SOAK IN AND INSTEAD
FLOWS INTO SEWERS, PONDS, AND
THE DETROIT RIVER TAKING WITH IT
THE CHEMICALS AND TRASH THAT
COLLECT IN PARKING LOTS AND
STREETS.
BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME GROUPS
PUSHING TO CHANGE COURSE AND
TEAR UP THE UNUSED AND OVERPAVED
PLACES.
>> I THINK IN DETROIT, WE HAVE
TO GRAPPLE WITH THE FACT WE HAVE
24 SQUARE MILES OF VACANT LAND.
AND SOME OF IT HAS TO BE GREEN
SPACE.
>> Grant: DETROIT FUTURE CITY IS
WORKING ON DEPAVING DETROIT.
>> THE OVERPAVED SURFACES HEAT
UP THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE
LESS GREEN SPACE IN THEM, SO
DEPAVING IS ONE OF THE WAYS TO
HELP COMBAT THAT.
>> YOU WANT THEM TO BE A THING
OF BEAUTY AS WELL.
>> Grant: THE FIRST WAS AT THE
CODY ROUGE COMMUNITY RESOURCE
CENTER WHERE HE HAD BEEN A
LIFE-LONG PARISHIONER AND
VOLUNTEERED TO DEPAVE 7500
SQUARE FEET OF UP USED PARKING
LOT, HOPING TO MAKE THE CHURCH
AND CENTER MORE INVITING PLACE
FOR KIDS TO PLAY AND NEIGHBORS
TO COME TOGETHER.
>> WE SIT RIGHT IN A
NEIGHBORHOOD.
THERE ARE HOUSES ON ALL FOUR
SIDES OF US, AND YOU DON’T SEE
ANY FENCES, WE’RE WIDE OPEN AND
WANT TO BE AN ASSET TO THE
COMMUNITY.
>> Grant: ESTIMATES SHOW
REMOVING UP TO 10% OF PAVEMENT
FROM A CITY COULD MEAN AS MUCH
AS A 7-DEGREE DROP, THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
LIFE-THREATENING HEAT AND A
PLEASANT AFTERNOON.
BUT SO FAR, IT HASN’T CAUGHT ON.
>> WE’VE KNOWN ABOUT THIS.
IT’S THE TOP TWO CLIMATE RISKS
10 YEARS AGO, SO WE’RE SAYING,
WHAT COULD WE HAVE DONE?
>> Karen: SOME DEPAVING PROJECTS
CAN BE TURNED INTO RAIN GARDENS
TO COLLECT RAIN, SUPPORT A
GARDEN, AND ALSO USED AS