Urban Shade: A Call for Rethinking City Landscapes
As urban areas continue to grapple with climate change, the importance of shade is becoming increasingly evident. Despite the cooling benefits provided by trees and structures, many cities in the United States remain starkly lacking in shaded areas. This shortage not only affects comfort but also highlights deeper socioeconomic divides.
The late Alexander Garvin, a renowned city planner, often cited Frederick Law Olmsted’s design of Central Park Mall as a stellar example of urban shading. The canopy of elms there provides warmth in winter and coolness in summer, thanks to the natural cycle of deciduous trees. But, as the nation faces intense heat waves fueled by climate change, such shaded promenades are scarce.
Recent efforts to map shade disparities, like the National Shade Map by UCLA and American Forests, show the vast differences in shade availability across cities. To adequately shade sun-drenched neighborhoods, an ambitious planting of 30 million trees is needed.
Urban planning has historically sidelined trees, treating them as hazards to drivers or obstacles in city design. This lack of trees is evident when examined against socioeconomic divisions, where sunny areas can be significantly warmer than their shadier counterparts.
Sam Bloch, in his book Shade, advocates for a re-evaluation of our urban shade strategies. While trees are crucial, Bloch suggests that cities should also harness the shade from tall buildings, which provide relief during afternoon hours. In Paris, for example, narrow streets flanked by six-story buildings create shaded pathways, prompting the creation of maps to locate sunny spots.
Redesigning cityscapes to prioritize shade would challenge longstanding zoning practices. Historically, sunlight was championed as a health measure, leading to the rejection of tall buildings in places like New York and San Francisco. Yet, many such regulations overlook nuanced sun-path analyses, focusing instead on simple ratios of street width to building height.
Phoenix is one city taking proactive steps by investing $60 million to enhance shade, inspired by its Shade Master Plan. Meanwhile, Los Angeles, despite a decade of discussions on shade, has seen limited success. Initiatives often falter under bureaucratic delays, as seen in the 2023 “Sombrita” incident, where plans for simple shade structures were mired in red tape.
The urgency of shade as a civic priority is echoed by Edith de Guzman and Monica Dean, who launched Shade LA to advocate for comprehensive tree planting. De Guzman highlights the need to treat shade as essential infrastructure, warranting a dedicated budget akin to roads and bridges.
Financial constraints and outdated regulations further hinder efforts to increase urban shade. In places like Los Angeles, rules restrict tree planting near intersections and other urban fixtures. Addressing these regulatory barriers could significantly boost tree density, as suggested by a University of Southern California study.
In cooler regions, public preference still leans toward sunlight, even as winters become milder. However, as environmental studies professor Laura Hartman notes, scriptures remind us of the value of shade, portraying it as a source of comfort and protection.
Original Story at slate.com