News | NBC 4 L.A. | August 2025

Cool ideas wanted. USC launches Shade Zones Design Competition

USC is launching a first-of-its-kind student design competition to tackle one of the region’s growing threats—extreme heat.

The Shade Zones Design Competition kicks off in the fall and will run annually through 2027, officials said Wednesday. This year’s competition is part of ShadeLA, a regional campaign led by USC Dornsife Public Exchange in collaboration with the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, and with participation from LA Metro, the city and county of Los Angeles and LA28, the local organizing committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games..