Cities like Los Angeles and Phoenix are now coating roads with heat-reflective materials to combat rising urban temperatures. The “cool pavement” reflects sunlight rather than absorbing it, reducing road surface temperatures by up to 10°C.
Urban planners say this helps lower surrounding air temperatures and reduces electricity use from air conditioning. The technology is part of a larger U.S. urban adaptation plan to fight extreme heatwaves.
Urban development bodies in Delhi, Dhaka, and Kathmandu are exploring similar cooling strategies as climate change causes hotter and longer summers. These innovations may soon be tested in parts of South Asia.