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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Since 2020, we’ve published reports, briefs, and created interactive tools to share our findings.
Learn more below about our work understanding how trees impact Air Quality and how Urban Planning change might expand tree canopy.
Illustration by Esther Margulies and Yuliang Jiang
Trees are critical to helping clean our air, but some do it much better than others. We tracked how air quality shifts throughout L.A.—and explored how intentional planting can lead to cleaner air and healthier communities.
We wanted to know: how could small shifts in street tree spacing create space for more trees across L.A.? Our work modeled changes to spacing rules—and revealed how better guidelines can spread shade, cool neighborhoods, and close gaps in environmental access.
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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