Even as Europe swelters and the U.S. braces for dangerous heat, cities have been slow to embrace mitigation measures — which can be as simple as painting asphalt with inexpensive chemical coatings that block the absorption of solar radiation.

Cities have been working “piecemeal” on initiatives like “cool roof” policies and “cool pavement” programs — but they’ll only get meaningful results from an inclusive plan that involves all heat-trapping surfaces, says Greg Kats, founder and CEO of the Smart Surfaces Coalition.

A full suite of interventions could reduce peak temperatures up to 5 degrees — but make it feel up to 15 degrees cooler, he said.

The 3-year-old coalition is working with Baltimore to try to make the city a model of what can be done.