A cool pavement and tree-planting project began Thursday in Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson's district in South Los Angeles as part of the Next Phase Urban Cooling Program.
"This project is an excellent example of innovation and collaboration," Harris-Dawson said in Exposition Park Thursday to announce the project. "And a tool we can use to provide relief to some of the hottest neighborhoods in the city while we address climate change."
This is the fifth of eight neighborhoods chosen for the program, which will install cool pavement and shade trees on a total of 200 city blocks. The program is led by the Bureau of Street Services, or StreetsLA.
"This innovative program is a great example of how the city and StreetsLA can reduce the urban heat island effect in Los Angeles, using a holistic approach that integrates new pavement technology, greening that broadens the tree canopy overhead and more bus shelters and shade structures," said StreetsLA Executive Director Keith Mozee.
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The Next Phase Urban Cooling Program was launched in 2021 and builds on the Cool Streets LA Program that began in 2019. The goal is to combine cooling strategies to reduce temperatures and increase shade in L.A.'s hottest neighborhoods.
"These types of programs are critical as we deal with heat, especially in areas where it's most prevalent,'' said Board of Public Works President Pro Tempore Mike Davis. "We thank StreetsLA for this work that, with other sustainability efforts by Public Works, will enable us to continue to tackle climate change head on.''
