It's not ideal. Alas, people change, and sometimes you realize you're stuck in situations where bailing would cause undue hardship to your kids, so you try to make it work.
The benefits of covering highways are more immediately visible (provide shade to cool drivers and reduce blinding by the sun).
I agree those other places have benefits.
Covering deserts will help cool them and reduce evaporation of moisture on the surface, possibly restoring the livability of a more diverse ecosystem. However, panels in the desert get dusty quickly, don't get cleaned by rain often, and would require water be brought in to clean them.
Covering parking lots would help cool cars, but I fear panels would be prime targets for vandalism.
I mean, have you been there?