Hot island effect

I truly do not understand the rationale of the City of Kelowna’s Planning Department. 

High density buildings and businesses are eagerly approved for downtown with no consideration for access or parking, or the “hot island effect”. When the Marriott wants to build a hotel on a chronically empty lot on Hwy 97 and Hwy 33 with ample parking they are turned down because "Large expanses of parking, especially with a south facing aspect, create an atmosphere that is inherently hostile to pedestrians, and can potentially produce an excessive 'hot island effect’.”
 
They suggest that the parking be located on the backside of the building. And the planners suggest, wait for it, “land dedicated to surface parking could be utilized for additional commercial development and density.” A passing tourist is less likely to pull into a hotel that is blocked by retail than one right on the highway.
 
But if you are going to use science as a rationale for city planning, please use it appropriately and apply it equally. The “hot island effect” does not apply to the hot asphalt of a parking lot in the middle of a mega-retail strip on a major highway corridor, whether it is on the front or rear of the building. The “hot island effect” is produced by man-made structures of any sort that increase the local temperature above the surrounding area. An example is a city in a valley. 

Additional commercial development and density will contribute to the “hot island effect” more than asphalt pavement because the heat produced includes not only the radiant heat of the building but also the heat from the air conditioners and refrigeration. A parking lot is marginally better than a building because it, at least, allows for horizontal air circulation. The proposed Visitors Centre on the waterfront will contribute significantly more to the “hot island effect” of Kelowna relative to the vegetation currently present than a parking lot versus a building on Hwy 97.

Kelowna is a city of suburbs and acreages. To get to the restaurants, shopping and attractions to spend their money the majority of the population use cars. If there is no place to park the car, they are much less likely to go. The Paramount Theatre being a well-known casualty.

Pamela Leco