One of the most effective ways to keep people cool is often neglected in urban planning. Cities must work to provide cover and reverse the ‘shade deserts’ common in low-income communities.
In May this year, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation unveiled four unusual metal bus shelters. Small and quick to install, the shelters were supposed to be a simple way to provide lighting and shade for waiting passengers — only one-quarter of bus stops in the California city have shelters. Los Angeles currently experiences about 11 extreme heat days each year — a number projected to at least triple by mid-century — and needs ways to protect people from heat outside. But the shelters, a pierced metal panel with a short overhang, were quickly attacked for costing US$10,000 each and providing only a tiny patch of shade, enough for one or two people.
Read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02311-3
