Key takeaways
- Shade is the most effective, low-cost way to keep people cool outside, but urbanized areas of Los Angeles County have less shade at noon compared with the national average, according to the Luskin Center for Innovation's National Shade Map, part of American Forests' Tree Equity Score.
- In collaboration with UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, USC Dornsife Public Exchange is teaming up with civic partners to expand Los Angeles' urban tree canopy and shade infrastructure to cool the region and address the dangerous impact of heat, which disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color.
- The ShadeLA initiative is leveraging the attention and investment around the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games to add shade, protect existing shade, use science to inform decisions and make it easy for residents, businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations and local government to participate in expanding shade.
Los Angeles faces a growing challenge: heat. Record-breaking temperatures, combined with inadequate shade, are making it harder to walk to school, wait for a bus or play sports. Today, ShadeLA launches as a public campaign to raise awareness, spur action and create collaborations that will work to expand tree canopy and shade infrastructure while leaving a safer, more climate-resilient Los Angeles.
ShadeLA is led by USC Dornsife Public Exchange in collaboration with UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, with participation by the city of Los Angeles, the county's Chief Sustainability Office, LA Metro and the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, or LA28. The world will be watching Los Angeles over the next three years as the region hosts global sporting events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl LXI, culminating with the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. ShadeLA plans to leverage this unique window of attention and investments to expand access to shade around communities that need it most, as well as Olympic venue sites and other shade deserts — areas lacking adequate shade — in Los Angeles' most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods.
ShadeLA is structured around four goals, each rooted in research, policy and community engagement:
- Expand shade through design competitions, new shade concepts and pilot projects
- Preserve and maintain shade through tree maintenance toolkits and stewardship models
- Guide the placement of new infrastructure using shade mapping, planning and other tools
- Inform and mobilize people through community shade planning events, story campaigns and toolkits for residents, businesses and schools
"ShadeLA is a powerful example of how UCLA research and collaborations lead to real-world impact," said UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk. "This project will greatly benefit communities across Los Angeles — and with the eyes of the world turning to our city in the lead-up to 2028, we have a unique opportunity to showcase what inclusive climate action can achieve."
The campaign is powered by a growing list of community collaborators leading on-the-ground shade projects that help ensure solutions are locally driven and responsive to neighborhood priorities.
"For years, USC Dornsife Public Exchange has been leading the way on sustainable urban forestry. Now, we're proud to be spearheading ShadeLA, an important initiative that leverages our cutting-edge research to improve quality of life for all of us in Los Angeles," USC interim President Beong-Soo Kim said.
Heat is the largest weather-related killer facing Los Angeles, especially its vulnerable populations. A key solution: shade. It is one of the most effective, low-cost ways to reduce heat risk. Whether from a tree, canopy, awning or bus shelter, shaded areas can drop the "feels-like" temperature by 35 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (or 20 to 40 degrees Celsius). It is simple, scalable and can be integrated into everyday spaces where people live, learn, work and play.
Los Angeles County has less shade than the national average. Urbanized areas of the county have an average of 21% shade at noon compared with the national average of 27%, according to the Luskin Center for Innovation's national Shade Map, which is part of American Forests' Tree Equity Score.
"We're at a critical juncture as L.A. gets hotter, and we are thrilled to partner with USC to lead with evidence and to collectively envision a livable future for our region," said Edith de Guzman, water and adaptation policy cooperative extension specialist at the Luskin Center for Innovation.
"ShadeLA is about more than trees and structures — it's about people," said Monica Dean, climate and sustainability practice director at USC Dornsife Public Exchange. "This campaign addresses heat not just as an environmental issue, but as a public health, infrastructure and community challenge."
LA28 has pledged to weave shade planning and heat mitigation measures into their planning processes, and to provide personnel and other resources as ShadeLA engages with city and county offices to review and update permitting processes.
"LA28 is committed to incorporating sustainable solutions throughout the Games footprint," said Becky Dale, vice president of sustainability at LA28. "ShadeLA supports not only keeping spectators cool during the Games, but also leaving a legacy of a cooler, greener Los Angeles for all Angelenos."
By expanding shade in coordination with local communities, USC and UCLA aim to model collaborative climate action while creating safer, healthier public spaces for decades to come.
Learn more about UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation's shade infrastructure planning efforts and about USC Dornsife Public Exchange.
