Most cities and public spaces were not designed to mitigate heat. We are demonstrating how trees and other forms of shade affect people’s heat experiences and measuring the impact of shade in places such as homes, schools, and streetscapes.
We are expanding our support for local heat planning by leading a new federal Center for Excellence for Heat Resilient Communities. With a first-of-its-kind grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Integrated Heat Health Information System and in collaboration with 50 partners, we aim to assist governments in safeguarding public health and well-being from heat. Our approach is data-informed to mitigate and manage heat in different communities and heat-exposure settings. Learn more
We are also working with local government agencies, including the City and County of Los Angeles, and their nonprofit and community partners to guide their adoption of evidence-based policy and program actions to protect the most heat-vulnerable communities.
To learn about our work on urban forestry, click here.
An example of courtyard shade and a nature-based outdoor learning environment at Esperanza Elementary School, Los Angeles. Photo credit: V. Kelly Turner / UCLA Luskin
Current Projects
Center of Excellence for Heat Resilient Communities
Researchers: PI V. Kelly Turner (UCLA LCI), CoPI Sara Meerow (Arizona State University); CoPO Ladd Keith (University of Arizona), Senior Project Manager Trace Lane (UCLA LCI), Program Coordinator Zachary Wampler (UCLA LCI)
Funder: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
UCLA LCI has been awarded a first-of-its-kind federal grant from NOAA to establish the nation’s first National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) Center of Excellence for Heat Resilient Communities. The Center will engage and support communities in determining the best strategies for local heat mitigation and management and make recommendations for federal investment.
Identifying Where and When People Are Heat-Exposed
Researchers: V. Kelly Turner
Funders: California Office of Emergency Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
In partnership with the UCLA Institute for Environment and Sustainability, LCI will extend our shade equity planning work in Los Angeles and integrate cell phone mobility data to understand where and when people are exposed to heat. We can then overlay other information, such as temperature and shade maps, to better inform decision-making to mitigate heat hazards.
Informing Heat and Urban Forest Science Curriculum
Researchers: Edith de Guzman, LCI; Travis Longcore, UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability; Mas Dojiri, LA Sanitation & Environment; Jill Grace, WestEd.
Funder: National Science Foundation (NSF)
LCI staff is advising on the NSF-funded heat and urban forest science Empowering Changemakers: Urban-Biodiversity Initiative for Teachers and Youth (ECUITY). It is developing an environmental justice biodiversity curriculum for middle schools in Los Angeles, supporting the City of Los Angeles’s goal of zero net biodiversity loss.
Creating a Heat-Resilient L.A.
Lead researchers: V. Kelly Turner, David P. Eisenman, Eric Hoek, Cara Horowitz, Travis Longcore
Funder: UCLA Sustainable Grand Challenge Sandpit Program
LCI is part of a nearly $1 million interdisciplinary research award to determine where and when people moving around LA are most vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat and to assess which communities most need cooling interventions. The researchers will engage directly with communities to produce the best possible designs and locations for cooling structures.
Recommendations for Designing Cost-Effective Outdoor Cooling Interventions in Micro-Climate Zones
Researchers: Kelly Turner and Ariane Middel
Funder: California Strategic Growth Council
The researchers are collaborating with the frontline communities of Eastern Coachella Valley, Ontario, Pacoima in the NE San Fernando Valley of LA, and Watts in South LA on rigorous outcome-based research on those most vulnerable to climate change impacts. The broader aim is to empower communities to implement cooling solutions for bus stops and other streetscapes to facilitate the increased use of transit and active transportation, reduce pollution, and create climate-resilient neighborhoods.
Published Research
Addressing Historic Underivestments in Heat-Vulnerable Communities
Authors: Edith de Guzman, UCLA LCI; Members of the Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity Collective; Krystle Yu, UCLA master of urban and regional planning student
Funders: Accelerate Resilience L.A. (a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors) and the U.S. Forest Service, via the L.A. Center for Urban Natural Resources Sustainability
LCI and the Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity Collective provide a step-by-step, decision-making framework that centers equity in tree planting and presents public engagement strategies developed in partnership with community-based organizations, designed to give a voice to residents.
Increasing Tree Cover and High-Albedo Surfaces Reduces Heat-Related ER Visits in Los Angeles, CA (2024 article in International Journal of Biometeorology)
Authors: Scott Sheridan, Edith de Guzman, David Eisenman, David Sailor, Jonathan Parfrey, and Laurence Kalkstein
The researchers used synoptic climatology to examine how different tree cover and albedo scenarios affect heat-related morbidity in Los Angeles, as measured by emergency room (ER) visits. They found that avoiding 25-50% of ER visits during heat events would be a common outcome if the urban environment had more tree cover and higher albedo, especially during moderate heat events.
Reducing Heat Risk for People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness (2023 article in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction)
Authors:
Funder: Santa Clara University Environmental Justice and the Common Good Research Grant
In this study, the researchers identified where unhoused residents in Santa Clara County were disproportionately exposed to heat and how they coped. They found that unhoused participants favored staying in places where they had more stability but these locations tended to have less access to shade and water, thus they faced difficult trade-offs.
Evaluating the Impact of Trees on Residential Thermal Conditions in Los Angeles Using Community Science (2023 article in Cities and the Environment)
Author: Edith de Guzman
This study engaged community scientists in Los Angeles to collect data on the impacts of trees on indoor and outdoor thermal conditions at residential sites. The researchers found that on hot days indoor temperatures in treehouses warm less than in non-treehouses, but that trees provide relatively less benefit at night. Also, exposure to extreme heat reaches dangerous levels in older residences without trees or air conditioning.
Site Design and Human Heat Burden: A Case Study in Pacoima (2023 report)
Researchers: Kelly Turner, Ariane Middel, Morgan Rogers, Ruth Engel, Florian A. Schneider, and Zachary Van Tol
Funded by: Community Partners through the Strategic Growth Council Transformative Climate Communities evaluation funding
This study examines how urban design influences the human experience of heat in Pacoima, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. Researchers find the primary factor in reducing heat burden is the availability of shade.
Shade is an Essential Solution for Hotter Cities (2023 commentary in Nature)
Researchers: V. Kelly Turner, Ariane Middel, and Jennifer K. Vanos
Shade is an essential solution for hotter cities. The researchers provide specific recommendations for municipal decision-makers to reduce shade deserts which are most experienced by those in low-income communities, exacerbating heat-health disparities.
Urban Heat and Cool Design Facts (2022 factsheet)
Researchers: V. Kelly Turner and Morgan Rogers
This three-page fact sheet provides a visual introduction to the science of urban heat, the causes, and the cures. Metro regions, neighborhoods, and specific sites can be more or less hot because of the way they are built. Understanding what urban land features influence temperature across scales is essential for prescribing the correct intervention.
More than Surface Temperature: Mitigating Thermal Exposure in Hyper-Local Land System (2022 article in Journal of Land Use Science, Women in Science edition)
Researchers: V. Kelly Turner, Emma M French, John Dialesandro, and Hana Abdelatty
This study examines how the temperature data decision-makers use to inform their policies may not accurately represent how heat affects people. The study authors call for more comprehensive data, including humidity and shade, and improved climate literacy among policymakers and planners to understand the complex dynamics of managing urban heat.
Increasing Trees and High-Albedo Surfaces Decreases Heat Impacts and Mortality in Los Angeles, CA (2022 article in International Journal of Biometeorology)
Authors: Laurence Kalkstein, David Eisenman, Edith de Guzman, and David Sailor
The researchers quantified how various tree cover and albedo scenarios would impact heat-related mortality, temperature, humidity, and oppressive air masses in Los Angeles, and quantified the number of years that climate change-induced warming could be delayed if interventions were implemented. The study found that roughly one in four lives lost during heat waves could be saved and climate change-induced warming could be delayed approximately 40–70 years under business-as-usual and moderate mitigation scenarios, respectively.