It’s a tall order, to cool a city down—like, literally, to shave a few degrees off the temperature. But we’ve all noticed how much more tolerable a hot day is when the sun goes behind a cloud, or when we step into the shade of anything other than a palm tree. Shade really does help, and a new initiative in Los Angeles called ShadeLA wants to apply these principles so that by the time the Olympics are here in three years, the city is a relatively cooler and more refreshing oasis for everyone, including the athletes and spectators.
The group behind this innovative thinking is spearheaded by the University of Southern California and involves collaboration between a bunch of different schools, agencies and community organizations aiming to not just cool down for the Olympic and Paralympic Games but also for the World Cup in 2026, the Super Bowl in 2027 and, even more importantly, to leave a lasting legacy for Angelenos in a rapidly warming climate.
So how does one go about cooling an entire city?
For one thing, you add more shade. That means trees and built structures like canopies and awnings that help protect schoolyards, sidewalks, parks and spaces where people tend to gather that would otherwise be exposed to hot sun. And you make sure that existing shade gets to stay. ShadeLA (primarily a collaboration between the USC Dornsife Public Exchange and the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation) works with caretakers and public agencies to make sure everyone’s on the same page about upkeep. A third component is using science to figure out where shade is most needed, and how to prioritize more urgent placements over others. The final part is trying to make the entire process easy and streamlined so that everyone can take part.
“Creating more built and natural shade will not only benefit visitors, but will pay dividends for vulnerable residents for generations to come,” said Rita Kampalath, chief sustainability officer for Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles is for sure heating up. From 1961 to 1990, there were on average two extreme heat waves a year. From 2011 to 2040, we are experiencing, and are projected to experience, eight heat waves per year. And after 2051 and going into 2080, that number leaps to 14. It’s scary to contemplate, especially if you’re part of a household struggling to stay on top of bills. Only 41 percent of residents in South L.A. have air conditioning, as compared to 68 percent of average L.A. residents—and 64 percent of South L.A. households live below the poverty line, as compared to 37 percent of average L.A. residents. That means many households will be sweltering and trying to figure out how to live in oppressive heat rather than simply turning on the cold air conditioning as more financially-fortunate Angelenos are able to do.
So does a tree really work? It may seem like throwing a toothpick at a charging tiger. But actually, studies show that shaded areas—below a tree, canopy, awning or bus shelter—can feel up to 70 degrees cooler than in the sun. That’s wild! And the more trees we plant, the more square footage of the sidewalks cool and the park benches cool so we can sit down in shorts without burning the back of our thighs and everything is better.
A slightly less surprising statistic: L.A. County contains less shade than the national average. In urban sections, there’s only 21 percent shade at noon (when the sun is directly overhead and sizzling away), while in the rest of the country, that number is 27 percent. That’s according to the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation’s National Shade Map. And that number varies wildly depending on your location; Compton has a composite score of shade of 63, while Beverly Hills, lush with plantings, has a composite score of 90.
“This campaign addresses heat not just as an environmental issue, but as a public health, infrastructure and community challenge. We’re designing solutions to protect lives—during major events and every day,” said Monica Dean, climate and sustainability practice director at USC Dornsife Public Exchange.