Quote Originally Posted by shawnw View Post
Asking because I don't know... does decomposed granite=gravel?
It's way nicer and considerably more expensive, as I've used both for big home improvement projects.

Decomposed granite is crushed to a pretty fine level, and then heavily compacted; you can even use some binders to make it very stable. In the end, it's pretty durable and porous. So, it pretty much stays in place and allows water to run through rather than just run off somewhere else.

This is why they used it at the Hart Building and why it was proposed for the 700 West project. It's cheaper than permanent paving but there are also some pretty nice other features, such as absorption and it just looks much more natural. It's become a green alternative to asphalt and concrete.

Gravel is just cheap and doesn't stay compacted. It's just the least expensive, most temporary way to go.