Made in the Shade

The regional coalition celebrates a year of turning research into action, piloting shade projects, and advancing policies that help Los Angeles prepare for a hotter future.

ShadeLA brought a temporary shade structure to a City of Los Angeles’ Kick it in the Park watch party for the World Cup. The structure reduced surface temperatures by 51 degrees F.

Two USC architecture students created the winning submission for the 2025 Shade Zones competition ahead of the World Cup.

To increase shade at scale, L.A. must modernize its policies, permitting, and implementation processes that currently limit progress. That’s where ShadeLA is stepping up to the plate, with two new policy briefs to help the city do just that.

Hundreds of students across L.A. submitted their modular shade designs.

New research from the LABarometer Survey shows L.A. County residents see shade as essential—and they want more of it.

Thanks to new research led by Dr. Kelly Turner at the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, in partnership with American Forests, shade is finally visible—and mappable—across hundreds of cities, including L.A.