Credit: Heat Island Reduction

Think about the black asphalt surfaces radiating heat on a hot summer day, with the air rising from the asphalt like hot air from a hair-dryer. If there was a grass or soil area instead of a black colored asphalt, as it would have existed before the development, this effect would not occur, as soil cannot absorb the solar heat like black surfaced asphalt does. This is an example of the heat island effect...