Greening L.A.’s hottest streets
Bringing more trees, shade, and fresh air to L.A. by mapping where, what kind, and how many trees to plant for the biggest impact.
USC Launched 2020
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Partners
In 2020, we set out to make L.A. greener by helping bring more trees to neighborhoods that needed them most—sparking a citywide movement for healthier, more resilient communities.
L.A. is heating up fast—and the need for trees to keep us cool has never been greater. However, prioritizing new investments in trees across more than 500 square miles is a major challenge. That’s why L.A. City partnered with us to dig deeper: mapping canopy equity gaps, uncovering barriers in policy and processes, and testing solutions that make it easier to plant and protect trees where communities need them most.
Our insights and learnings from this partnership are informing our new, citywide campaign to bring more shade to L.A. Through 2028 and beyond, we’re bringing together local agencies, universities, and community groups to plant trees, add shade structures, and engage residents—building a cooler, healthier, more sustainable Los Angeles.
Meet the project team
Marianna Babboni
Project Manager
Katie Vega
Community Engagement Specialist
Research team
John Wilson, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
USC Spatial Sciences Institute
Will Berelson, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
USC Earth Sciences
Esther Margulies
Co-Principal Investigator
USC School of Architecture
Yi Qi, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
USC Dornsife Spatial Sciences Institute
Santina Contreras
Co-Principal Investigator
USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Beau MacDonald
USC Spatial Sciences Institute
Ayda Kianmehr
USC Dornsife College
Pietro Vannucci
USC Dornsife College
Nick Rollins
USC Dornsife College
Devan Roper
USC Dornsife College
Jinsol Kim
USC Dornsife College
Alyssa Ng
USC Dornsife College
Avery Fratto
USC Dornsife College
Jooyoung Yoo
USC Dornsife College
Rongkun Lu
USC School of Architecture
Daniel Pons
USC Dornsife College
Wenye Wang, PhD
USC Dornsife College
Amber Birdwell
USC Dornsife College
Aviva Wolf-Jacobs, PhD
USC Dornsife College
Carolyn Koh
USC Dornsife College
Charles Curtin
USC Dornsife College
Dominic Borrelli
USC Dornsife College
Eileen Chen
USC Dornsife College
Emma Johnson
USC Dornsife College
Erik Huisman
USC Dornsife College
Isaac Ashe-McNalley
USC Dornsife College
Jackson Fitzgerald
USC Dornsife College
Jillian Gorman
USC Dornsife College
Joan Lee
USC Dornsife College
Kavya Gudihal
USC School of Architecture
Laura Messier, PHD
USC Dornsife College
Naman Casas
USC Dornsife College
Rachel Ablondi
USC Dornsife College
Runzi Kang
USC Dornsife College
Seher Randhawa
USC Dornsife College
Yifan Yang
USC Dornsife College
Yixuan Li
USC School of Architecture
Zoelli Ortiz
USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Recent Updates
Push to save trees damaged by the Eaton Fire
Ahead of Olympics, ShadeLA to expand shade across city
Can we turn our water infrastructure into a climate solution?
New team will brainstorm ways to provide more shade in L.A. ahead of major events
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