Urban Inequality and Decline

Dense concentrations of asphalt, concrete, and buildings absorb and re-radiate heat far more than the vegetated or rural land they replace, producing what climatologists call the urban heat island effect: measurably higher temperatures, sometimes several degrees Celsius, in city centers compared with surrounding rural areas, particularly at night. The effect intensifies heat waves and raises energy demand for cooling, and it falls unevenly within cities, since neighborhoods with less tree cover and more paved surface, often lower-income areas, tend to experience the sharpest temperature increases. Cities have responded with green roofs, reflective "cool" pavement coatings, and expanded urban tree planting, though implementation still lags the scale of the problem in most large cities.