News | June 2026

ShadeLA offers a playbook to help city meet shade goals

The City of Los Angeles’ Climate Action Plan calls for at least 15 percent tree canopy in every neighborhood, along with more shade structures ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. But with just two years to go, more than 40 percent of neighborhoods fall short of that goal.

To increase shade at scale, LA must modernize its policies, permitting, and implementation processes that currently limit progress. That’s where ShadeLA — co-organized by USC Dornsife Public Exchange and UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, with 30+ community partners — is stepping up to the plate, with two new policy briefs to help the city do just that.