For Los Angeles residents and tourists used to sweltering in the summer heat, cool solutions are on tap: Oak trees are set to replace low-shade palms, water stations are popping up at new transit shelters, and more fabric awnings are covering open-air walkways.
The clock is ticking as temperatures rise across the city, spurring a drive to further shade the hottest streets before millions arrive for next year's FIFA World Cup, the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympic Games.
ShadeLA, a city and county campaign backed by the University of Southern California, UCLA, regional transit agency LA Metro and the LA28 Olympic Committee, is a high-profile part of a push involving commercial properties to cool cities across the United States.
The situation in Los Angeles stands out, with about 21% of Los Angeles County covered by shade on an average day, well short of the national average of 27%. Around the city, on days when temperatures exceed 90 degrees, researchers estimate extreme heat leads to roughly 1,500 more emergency room visits than on average. The number of the region's “extreme heat days” is projected to rise 31% by 2050.
“ShadeLA supports not only keeping spectators cool during the Games, but also leaving a legacy of a cooler, greener Los Angeles for all Angelenos,” said a statement from Becky Dale, vice president of sustainability for the LA28 Olympic Committee.
The effort combines mapping tools, public outreach and investment in structures like fabric sails and climate-smart pergolas to expand shade coverage ahead of the global sports events. With 90% of the region's tree canopy on private property, the campaign also calls on commercial landlords and developers to incorporate shading strategies into their projects.
'Shade deserts'
At the center of the initiative is a tech platform called the Shade Map, created by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and the nonprofit American Forests. The map tracks how shade from buildings and trees shifts throughout the day in more than 360 U.S. cities.
The platform identifies “shade deserts” — areas that remain exposed to sun and heat for much of the day — allowing planners to prioritize cooling interventions in vulnerable zones, Turner said.
In Detroit, the tool has been used to highlight bus stops without cover for the city’s 85,000 daily riders. In Phoenix, it has guided public park improvements. In Austin, Texas, it supports safety planning along school walking routes.
A national Tree Equity Score published by American Forests and UCLA places Los Angeles behind peer cities in shade coverage, especially in low-income and high-heat areas.
“Cities need to think about shade as infrastructure,” said a statement from V. Kelly Turner, a UCLA associate professor of urban planning and geography and associate director of the Luskin Center for Innovation who studies heat equity — how exposure to heat affects different groups.
Many of the neighborhoods with the lowest shade coverage in Los Angeles — such as parts of South LA, Downtown and Boyle Heights — are also areas expected to see a surge in Olympic foot traffic.
ShadeLA is prioritizing these heat-vulnerable zones that are home to or near venues like SoFi Stadium, Crypto.com Arena, transit hubs and public gathering spaces that will draw crowds during the Games.
Shade strategies
Trees provide up to 25 times as much shade as buildings at midday, according to the Shade Map. But newly planted trees take years to mature, so LA planners are relying on engineered solutions.
LA Metro has launched a sidewalk and transit amenities program that includes adding 3,000 solar-powered transit shelters — including water stations, internet access and phone chargers — for bus riders in sun-exposed areas and 450 other shade pavilions with perforated walls in high-heat zones.
Phoenix, another city with high temperatures, has become a national model for engineered shade infrastructure through its Cool Corridors program, launched in 2021. The initiative targets pedestrian-heavy areas with extreme sun exposure, adding canopies, solar-paneled shelters and other sources of shade.
Some corridors use reflective surfaces to reduce ground-level heat, while others integrate misting systems and solar panels to power lighting and sensors. The goal is to cool major walking routes by as much as 15 degrees, according to the city’s Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.
These approaches offer a model for developers looking to add shade in dense environments with limited green space.
“They’re fast, affordable and scalable,” said David McCullough, a San Diego landscape architect who helps commercial property owners add shade to their properties. “But they’re not a replacement for trees.”
Shade incentives
California’s CALGreen building code, implemented in 2011, requires shade-producing features for most new residential and commercial buildings. This includes trees covering 50% of parking areas at maturity and reflective roofing to reduce heat.
In Los Angeles, tree protection ordinances and city zoning updates are nudging developers toward sustainable shade investments. Business improvement districts are also getting involved, with some offering grants or bulk purchasing programs to help businesses add shade affordably.
Landlords can combine rebates from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and SoCal Gas for installing energy-efficient HVAC systems, reflective roofing and sources of shade like retractable awnings and breezy pavilions.
Restaurants can tap the city’s Al Fresco program for support in adding umbrellas, awnings and other shade features to outdoor dining setups.
The Olympic timeline is “a critical catalyst” for an initiative the city has long needed, McCullough said.
“LA’s got a lot of catching up to do,” he said, in a problem that's particularly visible from the Hollywood Hills. “If you go up to Griffith Observatory and look down, it’s just nonstop concrete and asphalt as far as you can see.”