Cooling pavement project in Pacoima part of community-based solutions to combat extreme heat

PACOIMA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A summer day in one Pacoima neighborhood offers indicators of the extreme heat it experiences: the hot air is rising off the pavement and people wear what they can to protect themselves from the scorching sun.

"We are historically a red-lined community," said Melanie Paola Torres, organizing manager at Pacoima Beautiful. "A lot of the infrastructure here in Pacoima is all cement and asphalt," added Torres.

It produces something known as the urban heat island effect.

"Where all of this asphalt and concrete is just basically absorbing all the heat and re-emitting it," said Torres.

One effort to mitigate this effect started from the ground up. In 2022, nonprofits Pacoima Beautiful, Climate Resolve and others partnered with private company GAF and Los Angeles city agencies for the Cool Community Project.

They installed a coating that blocks the pavement from absorbing much of the sun's radiation. It covers 18 square blocks, a playground, parking lots, a mural and more.

"It has an increased albedo. So it just reflects light instead of absorbing it and emitting heat," said Selena Melgoza, climate solutions analyst at Climate Resolve.

Since then, they gathered data on its effectiveness, publishing a peer-reviewed study that found on high heat days, there are reductions in the air temperature by 3.5 degrees.

"We're able to see that the cool pavement warms up slower and cools down quicker in these areas. And overall we saw a reduction of 25% to 50% of the urban heat island effect within the project area," said Melgoza.

They have also heard from community members who said they feel a difference, including a local ice cream vendor.

"She did comment saying that she doesn't have to worry about her generator bursting just because of how hot it gets," said Torres.

The technology was also implemented in nearby residential streets, where black coating was installed.

Climate Resolve and Pacoima Beautiful said this is just one part of holistic solutions. They're now working on cool roofs.

"Cool roofs are a roof itself with individual shingles that carry the same material as the pavements," said Torres.

Pacoima resident Alicia Guzman is pleased to hear about the initiatives underway and stresses resources are needed in the area.

"The old houses, they don't have the AC. They're so expensive," she said.

"Building awareness of this issue and how popular this has been and how this is the first of its kind being done in Pacoima and this community, brought a lot of pride into the community," said Torres.

This story is part of our Climate Ready series - a collaboration between ABC News and the ABC Owned Television Stations focused on providing practical solutions to help you and your family adapt to extreme weather events and the current challenges of climate change.