Urban heat islands are among most serious environmental problems in cities because overheating of the pavement surfaces during summer season couses discomfort for citizens and increased consumption of energy. The strategies for solving this problem are different but using materials which have favorable thermal characteristics is emphasized as important part of those strategies. Understanding of parameters that affect and contribute to the urban heat island and more precisely to the increased heating of the urban pavement surfaces is necessary in that process to assure that future reconstructions and constructions in urban areas are done in the best possible way.Research done in the field showed that urban heat islands appear in areas where wind velocity and evapotranspiration are decreased (less green areas) and level of waste heat (from air-conditioning, lightening, motor traffic and factories) is greater. Field research in the city center of Rijeka and on the pilot field at the location of the University Campus (outside center, in less built area) was done during summer season of 2011., 2012. and 2013. The task of the field research was primarily to identify local materials which use can help reduce or mitigate the effect of additional heating in the urban environment caused by emission of heat from pavement surfaces but also to analyze the impact of other parameters (humidity, wind speed, presence of water, traffic intensity) on the heating of urban pavement surfaces. In the paper short overview of the parameters influencing heating of urban pavement surfaces will be done and results of the temperature measuring on two locations (cross sections), in the density built center and on the campus-outside city center, will be presented in more detail.

pavement surface; pavement materials; urban areas; urban heat island; temperature