Shade Will Make or Break American Cities

On a 92-degree Saturday afternoon in Portland, Oregon, I went looking for shade in Cully Park, which was built on top of an old landfill and opened in 2018. The city included plenty of trees in the design—I mean, this is Oregon. But those trees are still slender saplings, each throwing enough shade for maybe a chihuahua. So the park’s designers also included two large metal canopies that protect a seating area from both winter drizzle and the summer scorchers that are becoming routine here. The tables were full of families regrouping after a soccer game; a couple of women chatted while sharing a bottle of juice. As I walked into the shade, I could feel my body go from a state of mild alarm to drowsy summer relaxation.

As the climate warms, our cities are getting hotter, and people who live in. For years, conversations about how to solve that problem have focused on trees. Across the country, environmental groups and city governments are calling for , advocating for , and launching initiatives to plant a . You get the idea. Trees are indeed a wonderful and absolutely necessary part of cities, and they should be planted in many more places. The thing about trees, though, is that they must grow for years before they can provide meaningful shade. To get shade fast typically means erecting an awning, a shade sail, or a wall—it means building something. So where’s the million-awnings initiative?