There are three main advantages to choosing concrete for your parking lot project: it’s better for the environment, it’s better for your customers and it’s better for your bottom line. Several of these benefits are due largely in part to concrete’s high level of reflectivity. Light-colored surfacesreduce “heat island” effects, which enhances air quality. Pervious concrete has more of an impact on water quality. By allowing water to filter through to the ground instead of running off, pervious concrete may prevent flooding, erosion, damage to fisheries and the pollution of drinking water. According to the EPA, stormwater runoff can send as much as 90% of the pollutants found on the surface of traditional parking lots directly into our rivers and streams. However, the open-cell structure of pervious concrete is conducive to aerobic bacteria that break down many of these pollutants. Using pervious concrete for parking lots can mean adding more parking spaces and less drainage area for water runoff and storage. When it comes to safety, concrete’s reflectivity delivers both short-term and long-term advantages. The lighter surface of concrete is brighter than asphalt, which provides increased safety for both vehicles and pedestrians. In the long run, this greater reflectivity can lower ongoing lighting costs by up to 30%, increase curb appeal to attract more potential customers and tenants, and boost rental values & revenue.

By choosing a concrete parking area, you are selecting a more durable pavement that will require much less maintenance over the course of its lifetime. Parking lots properly constructed with concrete can last up to 40 years with little to no maintenance – the lowest life cycle cost available for paving. As you can see in the chart above, while the initial costs of a typical asphalt parking lot may be slightly less, the long-term costs are significantly higher. In the case of pervious concrete, it acts as a detention area, which means less money out of your pocket has to be spent on the labor, construction and maintenance of a detention pond, skimmers, pumps, drainage pipes and other stormwater management systems. Expensive irrigation systems can be downsized or eliminated. Stormwater impact fees from government agencies can be avoided. And land can be developed more efficiently.

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