Shade, cast by any vertical object, is an essential solution for hotter cities. On hot days, shade makes the difference between safe and unsafe for daily life to continue outdoors. However, few cities know where shade is, what casts it, and if communities have enough. In partnership with American Forests, the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation is making shade data accessible in cities across the U.S. so that local, state, and federal decision-makers can prioritize it in plans and policies for a chronically hotter future.

UCLA’s state-of-the-art shade data is available as a mapped feature in American Forests’ Tree Equity Score for 360+ cities in the United States. American Forests’ Tree Equity Score National Explorer identifies and prioritizes shade deserts in your city. Discover how much shade is available by Census block group at three different times of the day, and see what share of shade is cast by trees versus buildings. This map can be used in conjunction with social and environmental variables already available in Tree Equity Score, such as demographics, tree canopy, and heat exposure, to better understand how shade cover correlates with other factors.

Check out our how-to guide, Accessing Shade Data in Tree Equity Score, to help you get started using the tool.

The research team also added high-resolution shade data to three Tree Equity Score Analyzers — a local mapping tool that allows parcel-level exploration for certain cities. Now, for these three areas — Austin, TX; Detroit, MI; and Maricopa County, AZ — users can view shade at the parcel level. It allows users in these three locations to plan to improve shade equity by exploring tree equity data, assessing shade distribution, developing scenarios, and measuring the impacts of trees at a parcel level.