the pavement and roofs are like magnets. Get those streets tree lined or figure out some sort of canopy in summer.
I lived in the city on a main drag. We had huge Chestnut Trees that provided a canopy over the streets. And guess what...when it was really hot...we'd run through a sprinkler.
And then winter would come...and we'd freeze our butts.
Ground cover is certainly an answer. Water concerns here in AZ have many converting grass lawns to stone or desert landscape with little ground cover.
No wonder.
Satellite images show developing thunderstorms surrounding our valley, but unable to break through what must be a rising column of hot air released every evening.