Dive Brief:

• As Atlanta builders replace more green space with highrises, the city is getting hotter, according to research by Georgia Tech.

• The reason, Brian Stone, a professor of city and regional planning, explained to WSB-TV, is that asphalt and cement absorb more heat than trees and grass. The antidote is for building owners to add green space—in the form of “green roofs” covered with shrubs and trees, he said.

• The Georgia Tech campus is experimenting with installing green roofs and with replacing parking lots with park-like “quad space,” Stone said.

Dive Insight:

Whether those efforts will lower the temperature on campus or in the city remains to be seen. Researchers at Georgia Tech will measure temperature and humidity every five minutes for five years via sensors located on green and paved rooftops, Stone told the TV station.