Where the heat is really rising in Dallas

Dallas is hot, we all know that. However, some areas in the city are hotter than others including roofs, roadways, and parking lots.

According to a new study from the non-profit Smart Surfaces Coalition, these parts of the city are 14 °F hotter than less developed areas because of the abundance of dark, impervious surfaces. Dallas has approximately 333,000 roofs, 20,400 lane-miles of road and 1,400 acres of parking lots.

The new analysis finds that implementing “Smart Surfaces”--including trees, green stormwater infrastructure, porous and permeable pavements, and reflective roofs and roads--can reduce peak summer air temperatures by 3.1°F to 6.9°F in Dallas’ hottest neighborhoods.

The City of Dallas has partnered with the Smart Surfaces Coalition to identify the city’s hottest and most flood-prone pockets and to adopt smart solutions to mitigate extreme heat and stormwater flooding.

“We are proud to partner with the city of Dallas to create solutions to make the city’s urban areas cooler, healthier, and safer for all residents, especially for outdoor workers, children, seniors, athletes and unhoused people,” Greg Kats, CEO & Founder of the Smart Surfaces Coalition, said in a statement. “These strategies cut energy bills, protect vulnerable populations and strengthen the economy.”

Dallas’s adoption of Smart Surfaces could provide local residents with $800 million in public health benefits, $520 million in energy savings, and $1.7 billion in infrastructure savings, while also reducing or offsetting 12.7 million metric tons of CO₂e and managing billions of gallons of stormwater over a 35-year period, the analysis shows. 

"Designing healthier cities is paramount in the reality of our rapidly warming world. Outdated, heat-trapping surfaces put millions at risk — especially in underserved neighborhoods,” Georges C. Benjamin, MD, Executive Director, American Public Health Association, said in a statement. “The Smart Surfaces Coalition’s new tools give cities the power to design healthier, cooler and more resilient communities.”