Concrete and asphalt have become universal symbols of human progress in a world where most people live in cities. Yet these impervious surfaces—roads, parking lots, and dark roofs—trap heat and treat rainwater as waste. The result is worsening living conditions and increased health challenges for urban residents.
In nature, only 20% of rainwater runs off into streams and rivers. Most of it soaks into the ground, reemerges through vegetation, and cools the microclimate. In cities, this pattern reverses: 80% of rainwater flows off impervious surfaces into drainage systems, bypassing the soil entirely.
While essential for urban infrastructure, materials like asphalt, cement, steel, and bricks block water absorption. Some of these surfaces could be redesigned or replaced to make cities more sustainable, especially as rising temperatures and droughts intensify.
Green roofs offer a promising solution. They cool the buildings beneath them, absorb rainwater to ease pressure on drainage systems, and provide extra insulation during winter.
Understanding how the climate crisis impacts urban life is critical. Too often, climate change is depicted through distant imagery of melting glaciers and suffering polar bears. While these are important symbols, they risk obscuring the fact that climate change is a global problem with deeply local consequences—even in cities that seem far removed from nature. By highlighting these urban challenges, I hope to bring greater attention to how we can adapt our cities for a more sustainable future.
I am a reporter and photographer from Slovakia, focusing on how big issues and headlines affect our region and communities. I am fascinated by everyday life and see it as my mission to find art in it, using it as a mirror of our society.
I work for the most respected newspaper in our country, Denník N, and for Nota Bene, a magazine sold by people without homes. I also occasionally freelance for AP and AFP. Additionally, I publish my own newsletter about what matters in Central and Eastern Europe: Howweceeit.com.