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Shade & LA

ShadeLA is led by USC Dornsife Public Exchange in collaboration with UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, and with participation by the City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Office, LA Metro and the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LA28).

A City Shaped by Trees.  

A Future Shaped by Shade.

Los Angeles has long used big moments to reshape its identity through its environment. From palm-lined boulevards to the Olympic forest, LA’s past tells a story of how trees have symbolized growth, ambition, and civic pride.

Today, LA faces a new kind of challenge: extreme heat. Record-breaking temperatures are making it harder to walk to school, wait for a bus, or play outside. That’s why ShadeLA is flipping the script—reframing shade not as an amenity, but as essential infrastructure for public health, community resilience, and a more livable LA.

Photo courtesy of Security Pacific National Bank Photo Collection/Los Angeles Public Library.

Shade Through the Decades

Photo courtesy of TreePeople
  • 1932

    Palms for the World

    As LA prepared for the 1932 Olympic Games and tackled Great Depression unemployment, the city planted around 40,000 Mexican fan palms along boulevards—part of a $100,000 beautification and relief program using 400 laborers across 150 miles.

  • 1984

    Million Trees

    In response to the 1970 Clean Air Act, the Los Angeles Planning Department called for “planting a million trees to combat smog and improve air quality”. Between 1981–1984, TreePeople launched its citywide Million Trees Campaign—and in just three years, planted a million trees, placing its one-millionth tree just four days before the start of the 1984 Olympic Games.

    The campaign mobilized thousands of volunteers, delivered trees to schools and low-income households, and marked a major civic effort to improve LA’s air—and set a new standard for urban greening.

  • 2028

    Shade for a Hotter LA

    Now, as LA prepares to host the World Cup (2026), Super Bowl (2027), and the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games (2028), our needs have shifted again. It’s no longer just about planting—it’s about protecting people in a hotter city.

Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Parks Foundation

From Trees to Shade

A Shift in Strategy

We still plant trees—but ShadeLA goes further. We combine a living canopy with built solutions: canopies, shade structures, upgraded bus stops, and pop-up cooling zones. It’s not just about planting—it’s about making sure shade actually shows up where and when people need it most.

ShadeLA is focused on the quality of shade, not just the number of trees planted. Planting hundreds of trees in places people rarely go won’t help a commuter waiting at a bus stop, a child on a hot playground, or a worker walking home on a sunbaked sidewalk. But a single well-placed tree or shade structure can make a real difference.

That’s why we start with function:

  • Does the shade fall where people wait, walk, learn, or gather?
  • Does it provide relief during the hottest hours of the day?
  • Is it something that will last—and something the community can rely on?

Whether it’s a tree or a canopy, if it cools a space and protects people, it counts. Let’s build on LA’s tree legacy—not just for tomorrow’s city, but for today’s safety, health, and resilience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Shedding light on shade

  • ShadeLA is powered by USC Public Exchange in collaboration with UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, and participation by the City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Office, LA Metro, and the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LA28).

  • Short answer: Yes! Average temperatures across Los Angeles have been rising—and experts say some LA neighborhoods will spend up to 3 months a year over 95°F by 2050 (LA Times). Shade can drop the feels-like temperature by up to 70°F—which not only makes our streets more comfortable and walkable, but also saves lives (Springer).

  • We make it easier for Angelenos countywide to bring more shade to their neighborhoods and businesses. We provide the tools and information you need to get started—and work with local leaders and organizations to make sure shade is added in the right places and cared for long term.