How Does Los Angeles Deal With The Sweltering Sidewalks? The Umbrella

Additionally, additional trees and a pleasant sidewalk. On Tuesday, when the highest temperature recorded was 92 degrees, 54th Street was devoid of shelter. At noon, the sole source of shade on South Los Angeles street was buildings and four awnings that the city had recently erected in front of four bus benches.

However, even that tint was negligible. Furthermore, despite being secured to the ground, the umbrellas were so light that a student from the adjacent high school, Nayeli Alvarenga, inquired, "What happens if it is stolen?"

Temporary umbrellas are provided. More than a functional implementation, they indicate that Los Angeles is progressively organizing itself to implement more dubious sidewalks and streets.

The installation is an element of Cool Street LA, a novel initiative that seeks to reduce temperatures in the most scorching and "most vulnerable" neighborhoods of Los Angeles. As Los Angeles heats up, the program unveiled on Tuesday will integrate the widely publicized cool sidewalks prototype and adopt a more "holistic" approach to reducing temperatures.

Installments On Sidewalks

Under the direction of the city's Bureau of Street Services, the program will install light-reflecting rooftops, shaded bus benches with umbrella attachments, and new vegetation and trees. Additionally, the streets will be painted white.

The objective is to accomplish six Cool Street LA projects by 2021, with a cumulative of ten by 2025. Harrison Wollman, the deputy press secretary for the mayor, states that the neighborhoods have yet to be determined; however, the intention is to concentrate efforts on the city's most vulnerable and heated areas, where inhabitants rely heavily on public transportation.

The city constructed a water fountain near the school and repaved and planted fourteen leafy London plane trees (excluding those near bus stations) along 54th Street, between Fourth and Sixth Avenues. Additionally, cool pavement was poured, and cracked sidewalks were repaved.

"This is the first time we've attempted this combination, and hopefully, this is a great place that checks all the boxes and allows us to bring together multiple benefits," says Bureau of Street Services director Adel Hagekhalil.

The urban heat island effect primarily impacts low-income and minority communities, characterized by a scarcity of parks and verdant spaces. Mayor Eric Garcetti stated on Tuesday that a component of the Los Angeles Green New Deal is prioritizing these communities, which "should be first in line" to receive the proposed changes. "Shade concerns equity," asserts Garcetti.

Los Angeles County is one of the most rapidly warming regions in the nation. In Los Angeles' Green New Deal, objectives such as achieving a 3-degree reduction in the urban-rural temperature differential by 2035 and installing "cooling features" at every high-frequency transit stop by 2021 are specified.

Heat-related fatalities can be reduced by adopting a comprehensive approach to neighborhood cooling, according to Bryn Lindblad, deputy director of Climate Resolve, an organization affiliated with the Los Angeles Urban Cooling Collaborative. 

One potential strategy could involve the implementation of "urban greening," converting hard surfaces into reflective surfaces to reduce heat absorption and re-radiation, providing additional cover, and enhancing access to drinking water and rest areas.

Setting Temperature on Sidewalks

Tree planting is the most efficient method for reducing the temperature of an urban setting. Additionally, research indicates that cold roofs can reduce the number of Californians affected by heat waves at a minimal additional cost.

The municipality has also been experimenting with cold sidewalks to reduce street temperatures since 2017. Applying the grey reflective surface commenced in Canoga Park and extended to Sun Valley and Pacoima in the San Fernando Valley.

However, while the cooling advantages of cool sidewalks may ultimately be realized at the regional level, there is ongoing debate regarding their specific contribution to the walking or bicycle experience on that sidewalk. 

An investigation referenced in a recent article in CityLab demonstrated that individuals utilizing the street might feel over seven degrees warmer while standing on chilly pavements due to the absorption of reflected heat.

Christopher Hawthorne, chief design officer of the city, additionally declared on Tuesday the commencement of a workshop in which design firms shall construct "cost-effective" shade structures to adorn the 750 new bus benches that the city intends to install by December 2020. This includes the benches that are an integral component of Cool Street LA.

Hawthorne stated, "We must begin considering shade as a form of infrastructure and from every angle." "Trees are planted for they offer shelter. One potential approach to designing our street furniture would be incorporating shade mechanisms.