The “why is asphalt everywhere” part of your questions has been answered by others. To your “why aren’t streets painted white” question – sometimes they are!
Check out the cool pavement program in Phoenix! The government is testing solar reflective coatings in neighborhoods without tree cover to reduce surface temperature. There are other locations that are also evaluating solar reflective coatings for roadways, but Phoenix has the best website
https://www.phoenix.gov/streets/coolpavement
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