One of the world's biggest cities is trying out a wooden sidewalk to see if it helps keep pedestrians' feet cooler in hot weather, Tokyo officials say.
The 80-foot-long test sidewalk in Tokyo's Nihombashi district is made of chipped thinned cedar, a mixture of woodchips and cement, and blocks made from thinned wood, Kyodo news agency reported.
Members of the Nihombashi Miyuki Street road experiment association say they hope the wooden sidewalk will ease the so-called heat island effect in summer by releasing heat faster than the asphalt or concrete commonly used.
The group says the wooden sidewalk is more aesthetically pleasing and the scent of cedar gives pedestrians a sense of comfort.
The heat island effect is the phenomenon of urban areas becoming warmer than rural areas because of the high concentration of buildings trapping the heat.
source
The 80-foot-long test sidewalk in Tokyo's Nihombashi district is made of chipped thinned cedar, a mixture of woodchips and cement, and blocks made from thinned wood, Kyodo news agency reported.
Members of the Nihombashi Miyuki Street road experiment association say they hope the wooden sidewalk will ease the so-called heat island effect in summer by releasing heat faster than the asphalt or concrete commonly used.
The group says the wooden sidewalk is more aesthetically pleasing and the scent of cedar gives pedestrians a sense of comfort.
The heat island effect is the phenomenon of urban areas becoming warmer than rural areas because of the high concentration of buildings trapping the heat.
source
