{"682782":{"#nid":"682782","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Can Cool Roofs Help Atlanta Beat the Heat? Georgia Tech Experts Weigh In","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn a unanimous vote on June 2, the Atlanta City Council approved a significant ordinance requiring all new and replacement roofs to be built with light-colored, reflective materials, commonly known as \u201ccool roofs.\u201d The ordinance, set to take effect in one year, is part of a growing effort to reduce the city\u2019s vulnerability to extreme heat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers say the new policy marks a major step forward in climate adaptation, especially for heat-vulnerable communities, and could help position Atlanta as a national leader in urban resilience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow Cool Roofs Can Help Hotlanta\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201dOn any given summer afternoon, temperatures in Atlanta\u2019s intown neighborhoods can be as much as 15 degrees Fahrenheit higher than in the city\u2019s most forested areas,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/planning.gatech.edu\/people\/brian-stone\u0022\u003EBrian Stone\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the School of City and Regional Planning and associate director of Georgia Tech\u2019s Center for Urban Resilience and Analytics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat spike is partly due to the urban heat island effect \u2014 a phenomenon driven by heat-trapping materials like concrete, asphalt, and dark rooftops, combined with the loss of trees and natural landscapes. The impacts are not just uncomfortable \u2014 they\u2019re dangerous. Extreme heat is now one of the deadliest forms of weather in the U.S., with disproportionate effects on low-income communities, elderly residents, and those without access to air conditioning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arch.gatech.edu\/people\/patrick-kastner\u0022\u003EPatrick Kastner\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the School of Architecture, rooftops are key contributors. \u201cA major driver [of heat buildup] is dark, heat-absorbing material that stores solar energy during the day and then re-radiates it at night. If you look at a satellite image, for most of the day rooftops have more exposure to the sun than building facades \u2014 so the material choice there matters a lot.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Power of Reflective Roofs \u2014 and Trees\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStone and his students conducted modeling that found that widespread adoption of cool roofs across Atlanta could lower summer afternoon temperatures by more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit in many neighborhoods. That\u2019s comparable to findings in other global cities like London, where cool roofs have reduced average temperatures by up to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 F).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut cool roofs are only one part of a broader urban cooling strategy. In the same study, Stone\u2019s team showed that planting trees in just half of Atlanta\u2019s available planting zones could yield an even more dramatic effect, reducing temperatures by 4 F or more in some areas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCool roofs are highly effective, but pairing them with increased urban tree cover would multiply the benefits, especially for neighborhoods currently lacking shade,\u201d Stone said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEquity and Energy Impacts\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta\u2019s ordinance requires cool roofing materials on new commercial construction and when existing commercial roofs are replaced. While that may sound like a technical design tweak, Stone emphasized its equity implications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/urbanclimate.gatech.edu\/urban-heat-risk-and-health\/\u0022\u003EResidents in South and West Atlanta\u003C\/a\u003E, where tree canopy is sparse, and energy costs take up a larger share of household income, stand to gain the most,\u201d Stone said. \u201cWhen a cool roof is installed as part of a required roof replacement, those households will see meaningful reductions in cooling costs month after month.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKastner added that cool roofs could ease pressure on the electrical grid, lowering peak energy demand required for cooling during extreme heat and possibly reduce the risk of outages.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDurability, Maintenance, and Design Trade-offs\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStone noted that cool roofs tend to extend the life of roofing materials by limiting thermal degradation. However, he and Kastner also flagged some trade-offs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, highly reflective coatings can create glare, especially on sloped roofs near neighboring buildings. The ordinance accounts for this by setting different standards for flat and pitched roofs. Maintenance is another consideration: over time, reflective coatings may degrade or become dirty, requiring periodic cleaning to maintain performance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAesthetics and material compatibility may also challenge adoption when it comes to historic buildings or for roofs already outfitted with solar panels,\u201d Kastner said. \u201cBut advancements in roofing technology, including high-performance materials that aren\u2019t\u0026nbsp;plain white, offer more flexible options than ever before.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Cool Roof Policy With National Impact\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile cities like New York and Chicago have implemented cool roof programs for over a decade, Atlanta\u2019s proposed ordinance is one of the most comprehensive in the country \u2014 applying to all roof types, not just flat industrial ones.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAtlanta is steadily emerging as one of the most climate-resilient cities in the U.S.,\u201d said Stone, pointing to the city\u2019s urban forest and growing network of floodable parks as complementary resilience strategies. \u201cAdding a best-in-class cool roofing ordinance to that portfolio is a bold step forward.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd it could spark innovation across the region.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech is uniquely positioned to help advance climate-resilient design,\u201d Kastner said. \u201cFrom research on advanced coatings to urban planning tools that target the most heat-vulnerable areas, we\u2019re bringing science and policy together to shape cooler, healthier cities.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn a unanimous vote on June 2, 2025, the Atlanta City Council approved a new ordinance requiring all new and replacement roofs to use light-colored, reflective materials known as \u201ccool roofs.\u201d Backed by Georgia Tech research, the policy is designed to reduce urban heat, lower energy costs, and improve climate resilience\u2014especially in heat-vulnerable communities. As one of the most ambitious cool roof mandates in the nation, Atlanta\u2019s move positions the city as a leader in urban climate adaptation and a model for other U.S. cities facing rising temperatures.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"City\u2019s New Rule Could Shape Broader Change to Protect Heat-Vulnerable Cities"}],"uid":"35798","created_gmt":"2025-06-13 00:00:16","changed_gmt":"2025-10-24 14:21:32","author":"Ayana Isles","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-06-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-06-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677228":{"id":"677228","type":"image","title":"Roof installation","body":null,"created":"1749773178","gmt_created":"2025-06-13 00:06:18","changed":"1749773178","gmt_changed":"2025-06-13 00:06:18","alt":"Carpenters build a roof on a residential house","file":{"fid":"261109","name":"AdobeStock_600909189.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/06\/12\/AdobeStock_600909189.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/06\/12\/AdobeStock_600909189.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3640582,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/06\/12\/AdobeStock_600909189.jpeg?itok=NYDpb4Ix"}}},"media_ids":["677228"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/resilience.research.gatech.edu","title":"Center for Urban Resilience and Analytics"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"137","name":"Architecture"},{"id":"142","name":"City Planning, Transportation, and Urban Growth"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188349","name":"urban heat"},{"id":"86431","name":"cool roofs"},{"id":"194567","name":"Atlanta ordnance"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:aisles3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAyana Isles\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ESenior Media Relations Representative\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"685179":{"#nid":"685179","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Graduate Student Wins GeoGuessr World Championship","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith a keen eye and a passion for geography, Radu Casapu, a graduate student in the School of City and Regional Planning, won the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9Wbau6wdKzI\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E2025 GeoGuessr World Championship\u003C\/a\u003E in Copenhagen, Denmark.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe online game challenges players to identify specific locations using Google Street View in a race against the clock and \u2014 in multiplayer mode \u2014 their opponent. The World Championship tournament brought together the world\u2019s 16 top players, and Casapu entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the Americas Regional in May.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEach round is a best-of-five match. Casapu hadn\u2019t lost a game in the first three rounds of the tournament entering the final round, which came down to the wire. Tied at 2-2, Casapu correctly identified a Chilean landscape to win the decisive final game and the $50,000 prize.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Suwanee, Georgia, native has been playing GeoGuessr for nearly a decade, but it wasn\u2019t his first foray into competition. Casapu participated in geography bees in middle and high school before earning his bachelor\u2019s degree in geography from the University of Georgia. Outside the classroom, he says the game becomes a resource that challenges him and helps him learn.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeoGuessr is such a holistic game, just like geography is a holistic subject that includes not only physical geography, but also cultural and human geography around the world. The game helps you to study these concepts as well as other areas that provide global context, like architecture, ecology, botany, and other things that I would never have thought I\u2019d start noticing. It gives me a lot of perspective in my own line of work in planning,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a first-year graduate student at Tech, Casapu is familiarizing himself with his surroundings. Should he come across a campus location while playing the GeoGuessr, he believes he\u2019d first recognize the architectural style and the brickwork of the Institute\u2019s historic buildings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter completing his master\u2019s degree, Casapu will pursue a career as a planner at the city or regional level.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Radu Casapu\u2019s love for geography and competition led him to Copenhagen, Denmark, to compete in the GeoGuessr World Championship.  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERadu Casapu\u2019s love for geography and competition led him to Copenhagen, Denmark, to compete in the GeoGuessr World Championship.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Radu Casapu\u2019s love for geography and competition led him to Copenhagen, Denmark, to compete in the GeoGuessr World Championship.  "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2025-09-23 14:11:10","changed_gmt":"2025-10-06 17:54:29","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-09-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-09-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678100":{"id":"678100","type":"video","title":"Georgia Tech Graduate Student Wins GeoGuessr World Championship","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech graduate student Radu Casapu\u2019s love for geography and competition led him to Copenhagen, Denmark, to compete in the GeoGuessr World Championship.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1758636879","gmt_created":"2025-09-23 14:14:39","changed":"1758636879","gmt_changed":"2025-09-23 14:14:39","video":{"youtube_id":"I6Ko8zrOumA","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=I6Ko8zrOumA"}},"678101":{"id":"678101","type":"image","title":"Radu GeoGuessr Champion","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech graduate student Radu Casapu hoists the trophy after winning the 2025 GeoGuessr World Championship. Submitted photo.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1758636930","gmt_created":"2025-09-23 14:15:30","changed":"1758636930","gmt_changed":"2025-09-23 14:15:30","alt":"Radu Casapu ","file":{"fid":"262084","name":"1000073213.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/23\/1000073213.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/23\/1000073213.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":23265280,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/23\/1000073213.jpg?itok=Fk39zT6-"}}},"media_ids":["678100","678101"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"137","name":"Architecture"},{"id":"142","name":"City Planning, Transportation, and Urban Growth"},{"id":"193157","name":"Student Honors and Achievements"}],"keywords":[{"id":"191777","name":"world champion"},{"id":"95781","name":"esports"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano \u003C\/a\u003E\u2013 Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"681216":{"#nid":"681216","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech to Collaborate on $6.7 Million NASA University Leadership Initiative","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EProfessor \u003Cstrong\u003EKyriakos Vamvoudakis \u003C\/strong\u003Ewill collaborate with colleagues from academia and industry on a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/armd\/tacp\/ui\/uli\/2025-university-teams\/\u0022\u003ENASA University Leadership Initiative (ULI) grant\u003C\/a\u003E to create intelligent systems for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) that can independently learn and make safe decisions. These systems will be designed to consistently be aware of safety and ensure that the vehicles operate reliably and securely.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe four-year $6.7 million Safety Aware Learning Assured Autonomy for Aviation project will be headed up by \u003Cstrong\u003EHever Moncayo\u003C\/strong\u003E from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and include collaborations with Georgia Tech, the University of Texas, Arlington, the University of Southern California, and Collins Aerospace.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to join forces and combine our multifaceted expertise to enhance the safety of Advanced Air Mobility vehicles. Our research is paving the way to make them a reality,\u201d Vamvoudakis stated. \u201cThis ULI will bring together experts from academia and industry to speed up progress in aviation safety, improve the reliability and autonomy of future air mobility, and facilitate the integration of autonomous safety systems into commercial and regulatory standards.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project will investigate the significant knowledge gaps that have slowed down the national airspace\u2019s use of AAM vehicles such as drones and air taxis. Vamvoudakis and his team will create smart safety system software that can learn independently. This system will help monitor, manage, and control these vehicles safely and reliably. It will also produce national safety guidelines to ensure the vehicles follow safe flight paths and make harmless decisions based on their own learning. Additionally, they will allow vehicles to autonomously adjust their own actions to ensure safety within specific operational limits. The idea is that future AAM vehicles will use smart, non-traditional components to stay safe and perform well, even in unexpected situations and emergencies. Establishing an intelligent system that can diagnose and predict issues independently will be crucial. This system will help ensure these vehicles meet their mission goals safely, despite challenges like unpredictable environments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis ULI research effort will support the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/armd\/\u0022\u003EAeronautics Research Mission Directorate\u2019s\u003C\/a\u003E (ARMD) outcome for 2020-2035: Initial safe and efficient integration of highly automated vehicles into the National Airspace System (NAS) by introducing aviation systems with bounded autonomy, capable of carrying out function-level goals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is Vamvoudakis\u2019 second ULI. He is a part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/uli.arc.nasa.gov\/projects\/10\/\u0022\u003ESafe and Secure Autonomy Project\u003C\/a\u003E that is still active.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECo-Pis: K. \u003Cstrong\u003EMerve Dogan, Maj Mirmirani, \u003C\/strong\u003Eand \u003Cstrong\u003EVictor Fraticelli \u003C\/strong\u003E(Embry Riddle Aeronautical University), \u003Cstrong\u003EKyriakos G. Vamvoudakis\u003C\/strong\u003E (Georgia Institute of Technology), \u003Cstrong\u003ENicholas Gans\u003C\/strong\u003E and\u003Cstrong\u003E Yijing Xie\u003C\/strong\u003E (University of Texas, Arlington), P\u003Cstrong\u003Eetros Ioannou\u003C\/strong\u003E (University of Southern California), and\u003Cstrong\u003E Kevin Kronfeld\u003C\/strong\u003E (Collins Aerospace) will play a crucial role in this collaborative effort.\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Vamvoudakis and researchers will enhance Advanced Air Mobility safety. "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EProfessor \u003Cstrong\u003EKyriakos Vamvoudakis \u003C\/strong\u003Ewill collaborate with colleagues from academia and industry on a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/armd\/tacp\/ui\/uli\/2025-university-teams\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENASA University Leadership Initiative (ULI) grant\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E to create intelligent systems for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) that can independently learn and make safe decisions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Vamvoudakis and researchers will enhance Advanced Air Mobility safety. "}],"uid":"36345","created_gmt":"2025-03-18 19:56:10","changed_gmt":"2025-03-18 19:59:27","author":"gwaddell3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-03-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-03-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"676581":{"id":"676581","type":"image","title":"Vamvoudakis-K-Headshot-h.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003EDutton-Ducoffee Professor \u003Cstrong\u003EKyriakos Vamvoudakis\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1742327867","gmt_created":"2025-03-18 19:57:47","changed":"1742327867","gmt_changed":"2025-03-18 19:57:47","alt":"Professor Kyriakos Vamvoudakis ","file":{"fid":"260385","name":"Vamvoudakis-K-Headshot-h.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/18\/Vamvoudakis-K-Headshot-h.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/18\/Vamvoudakis-K-Headshot-h.png","mime":"image\/png","size":80126,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/03\/18\/Vamvoudakis-K-Headshot-h.png?itok=XhFPgd0S"}}},"media_ids":["676581"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/news\/2025\/03\/georgia-tech-collaborate-67-million-nasa-university-leadership-initiative","title":"Georgia Tech to Collaborate on $6.7 Million NASA University Leadership Initiative"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1239","name":"School of Aerospace Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"},{"id":"137","name":"Architecture"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186313","name":"Aerospace Engineering School"},{"id":"1325","name":"aerospace"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193655","name":"Artificial Intelligence at Georgia Tech"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMonique Waddell\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["monique.waddell@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}