Every summer, we hear the same complaint: "kasto garmi badheko". We often blame climate change, and global warming. But have we ever stopped to ask whether our own cities are making the heat even worse?

Cities are growing rapidly. Roads, buildings and commercial areas are signs of development. But in the process, we are also replacing open land and trees with concrete and asphalt. These hard surfaces absorb heat throughout the day and release it slowly, making the city much hotter than it needs to be.

Rapid urbanization is unavoidable. It's neither replaceable nor stoppable. However, it is quite disheartening to see how the vibrant spaces are gradually turning into a concrete jungle, leaving behind little trace of urban nature and open breathing space in the name of urbanization. A well-designed developed city should grow with nature, not away from it.

The effects of this extra heat are felt every day. A child walking home from school, a traffic police officer standing at a busy intersection, a street vendor working under the afternoon sun, or an elderly person out for a walk all look for the same thing-relief from the heat. Unfortunately, that relief is becoming harder to find.

Across Kathmandu, we have many public spaces-traffic islands, neighborhood open areas, parks and roadside spaces. Most already have some form of landscaping. Yet many of these spaces are covered with concrete and decorated with ornamental shrubs or potted plants that look green but provide very little environmental benefit. They make our surroundings attractive, but they do little to cool the environment or improve the comfort of the people who use these spaces every day.

This is where I believe we need to rethink the way we design our public spaces. One of the solutions for this would be creating an ecological green infrastructure. Green infrastructure consists of parks, street trees, green connectors, community garden, green roof and walls and urban tree canopy. A city does not become cooler simply by adding greenery. It becomes cooler when the right trees are planted in the right places. The goal is not only to make Kathmandu look greener, but to make it cooler, healthier, and more livable.

Imagine standing at a busy traffic island on a hot summer afternoon. Around you are flowering shrubs, decorative plants and neatly paved surfaces. The space looks green, yet there is nowhere to stand in the shade. Now imagine the same place with a mature native Peepal, Chilaune or Utis tree spreading its canopy overhead. The footprint on the ground changes very little, but the experience changes completely. The space becomes cooler, more comfortable and more welcoming-not because we added more greenery, but we made it ecologically functional.

The same idea applies to many neighborhoods open spaces across Kathmandu. These urban spaces hold immense potential to be more than just a vacant space filled with concrete floors and few benches. With thoughtful planning, many of these spaces could be transformed into small pocket parks with large native canopy trees, permeable ground surfaces and simple seating areas. These would not only provide shade but also become places where children can play, elderly people can relax and neighbors can spend time together.

This will have several benefits. First and foremost, this will bring back the nature in the city and will maintain the urban ecology. It will transform the area by introducing native canopy trees that improve air quality, enhance biodiversity, lower surrounding temperatures, and create a cooler, more comfortable microclimate. Soft landscaping - plants, lawns, and shaded seating - will provide visual and mental relief. The recreational space will promote social interaction and inclusivity for all age groups and abilities. In the long run, it will balance nature with urban life, enhance the area's aesthetics and property value, and foster community pride and environmental awareness - proving that small green steps can greatly improve urban living. Second, they also support local biodiversity, improve air quality, absorb carbon and allow more rainwater to soak into the ground. Unlike many ornamental plants, they continue to provide these benefits for decades.

This does not mean ornamental plants have no place in our cities. Flowers, shrubs and decorative landscaping certainly improve the beauty of public spaces. However, they should complement, support bio diversity not replace-the large native canopy trees that make our cities cooler and healthier.

Good urban design is not only about how a place looks. It is also about how it functions. Every time we design a public space, we should ask a few simple questions: Does it make our city more resilient to rising temperatures? Does it invite people to spend time there? Does it improve the city's ecological health? Does it support birds, butterflies, and other local biodiversity? If the answer is no, then perhaps the space needs to be designed differently. Every traffic island, roadside, neighborhoods park and public open space gives us an opportunity to make that choice.

Around the world, cities are investing in climate resilience to prepare for rising temperatures. Our cities have the opportunity to do the same-not by copying expensive solutions, but by making better use of the spaces we already have. We do not necessarily need more land. We need to rethink the land we already have.

The future of our cities will not be shaped only by the buildings we construct, but also by the nature we choose to preserve and restore. If we continue replacing nature with concrete and prioritizing ornamental landscaping over ecological planting, our summers will only grow hotter. But if we redesign our public spaces as ecological green infrastructure, we can create a city that is cooler, healthier, more resilient, and more livable for generations to come.