Lanham, MD – The Asphalt Pavement Alliance announces the release of a new white paper, The Role of Asphalt in Livable Communities. As livable communities become a new objective in urban planning and transportation circles, asphalt roads are playing a fundamental role. This white paper addresses the varying definitions of livability and the roles that asphalt pavements can and do play in these communities.  This document is a free download and can be accessed by clicking here.

“Asphalt is a good investment for America,” said Patty Long of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, an author of the document. “Technological advances in asphalt provide cost-effective and green solutions and advance the goals of livability while protecting the investments that this country has made in our infrastructure.” 

The four-page document provides details on the versatility of asphalt pavements from porous pavements that improve safety, manage stormwater runoff, and improve water quality, to the sustainable qualities such as high rates of reuse and recycling. The report also recommends that livability goals be broadly defined to ensure that all of the population benefits and that funding for livability not siphon money away from needed pavement preservation and infrastructure maintenance.

The Asphalt Pavement Alliance is a coalition of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Asphalt Institute, and the State Asphalt Pavement Associations. The Alliance's mission is to further the use and quality of asphalt pavements. The Alliance will accomplish this through research, technology transfer, engineering, education, and innovation.