Across U.S., Cities Use Art and Shade to Help Residents Beat Rising Heat

Cities across the United States are weaving public art, science and community engagement into heat-mitigation efforts to protect residents from increasingly extreme temperatures driven by human-caused climate change.

From Phoenix to Los Angeles to Cambridge, officials and artists are installing canopies, awnings and interactive pieces that provide shade, convey heat-safety information and encourage community members to change behavior on hot days.

In Phoenix, where the city has averaged more than 115 days annually with daytime temperatures above 100 F (38 C) over the past decade, officials say shade is a critical part of a broader heat-response strategy. Several temporary public-art shade structures have been created this year with help from local artists and community members. One awning in a park features painted alebrijes from Mexican folk art and a solar-powered misting system; another canopy uses reflective paint and ultraviolet-resistant fabric.

“These art installations are one element of the city's plan to expand shade,” said David Hondula, Phoenix’s director of heat response and mitigation. “Shade can be much more than functional. It can enrich our public spaces.” Phoenix unveiled the pieces at community events that also offered information about heat safety, free cooling towels and sunscreen. Carrie Brown, deputy director for the city’s office of art and culture, said the events are intended to help people recognize and respond to their bodies’ responses to heat.

Researchers are using advanced monitoring tools to quantify the cooling effects of shade and to inform design choices. On a recent afternoon, Arizona State University doctoral student Muhammad Abdullah rolled an advanced mobile weather station called MaRTy 3D+ next to a shade art installation in Cielito Park and recorded temperature, humidity, wind and radiation. Abdullah found that moving from direct sun to the shaded area dropped mean radiant temperature from about 145 F (63 C) to roughly 88 F (31 C). Skin temperature decreased immediately in shade and rose again when returned to sun, though the change did not significantly affect core temperature.

The MaRTy 3D+ system allows researchers to model how different people thermoregulate and to estimate skin and core temperature as well as cardiac strain for hypothetical individuals such as the elderly or people on certain medications, said Jennifer Vanos, an associate professor at ASU who studies heat’s effects on human physiology. Data gathered by the team are being used to make recommendations to city planners.

In Los Angeles, researchers and artists are also working to highlight disparities in shade access and to show practical solutions. Edith de Guzman, a cooperative extension researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, said her work has quantified significant public-health benefits from increasing shade. With colleagues, she has estimated that shade could reduce up to 25% of heat-related deaths in Los Angeles and as much as 66% of heat-related emergency room visits.

De Guzman co-curated "Roots of Cool: A Celebration of Trees and Shade in a Warming World," an exhibit that uses textiles, paintings, interactive maps and suspended umbrellas to take visitors through the past, present and potential futures of shade in the city. The display includes a three-part installation by artist Leslie K. Gray that shows silhouetted figures at bus stops with varying amounts of shade, accompanied by facts about heat dangers and unequal access to cooling infrastructure.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, which typically contends with cold winters rather than extreme heat, has launched a project titled "Shade is Social Justice" to increase public awareness of heat risks and to encourage local cooling strategies. One installation features hanging flowers that mechanically open when temperatures reach 85 F (29 C), signaling people to seek water or shade, according to Claudia Zarazua, the city’s art and cultural planning director.

Officials and artists say that combining aesthetic appeal with function can change how people perceive heat. Studies cited by researchers found that people rated more attractive bus stops as feeling cooler than less attractive ones. Other international research suggests that perceptions of quiet and beauty can raise individuals’ heat tolerance.

Community engagement is central to many efforts. Phoenix’s installations were created with neighborhood input, and the city coupled unveilings with educational outreach. The Los Angeles exhibit invites visitors to write postcards addressed to the past, present or future about heat, and to draw designs for better shaded bus stops. Public-facing projects aim not only to highlight risks but also to demonstrate practical, achievable interventions.

Municipal officials and researchers say shade is one of several tools needed to reduce heat risk, alongside increased tree canopy, cooling centers, water access and building- and street-scale design changes. They emphasize data-driven planning and targeted investments in neighborhoods that currently lack shade or face disproportionate exposure to heat.

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