{"id":20629,"date":"2025-12-18T16:41:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T00:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/?p=20629"},"modified":"2025-12-18T16:41:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T00:41:13","slug":"effects-of-built-environment-on-heating-in-la","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2025\/12\/18\/effects-of-built-environment-on-heating-in-la\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the Effects of the Built Environment on Heating in LA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/Exploring_Effects_Built_Enviro_LA_blog-768x432.png\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/Exploring_Effects_Built_Enviro_LA_blog-1920x1080.png 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/Exploring_Effects_Built_Enviro_LA_blog-1280x720.png 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/Exploring_Effects_Built_Enviro_LA_blog-768x432.png 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"a hazy, aerial view of Los Angeles buildings and neighborhoods\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Exploring the Effects of the Built Environment on Heating in LA<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  And How Community Organizations Are Combatting the Heat \n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n          <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span>Austin Mendoza, ERI Data Analyst II<\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">December 18, 2025<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" 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\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s no secret that climate change is causing global temperatures to rise. The European Copernicus Climate Change Service <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/climate.copernicus.eu\/surface-air-temperature-november-2025\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">now expects<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the three-year average global temperature from 2023 to 2025 to breach the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial level threshold for the first time. But it\u2019s not just the burning of fossil fuels on a planetary scale that is raising the mercury in the thermometer. The form of our built environment \u2013 full of concrete and buildings that absorb heat during the day and release it at night, and with not enough green spaces that can act as cooling oases \u2013 means that urban areas are often hotter than their less built-up surroundings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Los Angeles County is not immune to this urban heating effect \u2013 according to a new <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalequityatlas.org\/indicators\/urban-heating\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urban Heating indicator<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the National Equity Atlas (by PolicyLink and USC Equity Research Institute), 59% of all residents living in urban areas of the county \u2013 over 5.7 million people \u2013 experience at least eight degrees of additional heating due to the built environment, which is ranked in the top 14% of counties nationwide. This additional heating cuts across demographics, with majorities of every group living in neighborhoods with at least eight degrees of additional heating.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although most Angelenos are affected at some level by increased urban heating, some have less ability to address or adapt to the issue of extreme heat. According to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalequityatlas.org\/indicators\/urban-heating\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Equity Atlas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, about 60% of both children and seniors, who are more susceptible to the health risks of extreme heat like heat stroke, live in neighborhoods with more than eight degrees of additional heating. About 60% of both immigrants and linguistically isolated households in urban LA County, who may have higher barriers to participation in policymaking that could address extreme heat, also live in such areas. Lower-income or renter households may not be able to invest in air conditioning to keep their homes cool. Communities of color in Los Angeles are still <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2225-1154\/8\/1\/12\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">feeling the effects of historical redlining<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through disinvestment, more buildup of industrial areas, and a relative lack of environmental amenities like green space.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20637\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20637\" style=\"width: 1767px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalequityatlas.org\/indicators\/urban-heating?geo=04000000000006037\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-20637 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanHeating_LA.png\" alt=\"Bar chart from the National Equity Atlas showing Urban Heating data in Los Angeles (number of urban residents by degrees F of additional heating in their neighborhood\" width=\"1767\" height=\"917\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanHeating_LA.png 1767w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanHeating_LA-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanHeating_LA-1024x531.png 1024w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanHeating_LA-768x399.png 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanHeating_LA-1536x797.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1767px) 100vw, 1767px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20637\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Data source: Climate Central; US Census Bureau | National Equity Atlas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urban heating is intricately linked to tree canopy coverage. Among other benefits, this coverage can directly reduce the urban heat effect by absorbing excess heat without releasing it back into the atmosphere and by providing havens of shade for residents. The National Equity Atlas\u2019 new <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalequityatlas.org\/indicators\/urban-tree-canopy?geo=04000000000006037&amp;breakdown=by-race-ethnicity\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urban Tree Canopy indicator<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shows that nearly 90% of residents living in urban areas in Los Angeles County live in neighborhoods with less than 10% tree canopy cover. Unlike urban heating itself, urban tree canopy coverage in LA County reveals more stark inequities \u2013 white Angelenos have significantly more tree canopy in their neighborhoods than do Angelenos of color, as do residents living above the poverty line as compared to those living below poverty.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20638\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20638\" style=\"width: 1772px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalequityatlas.org\/indicators\/urban-tree-canopy?geo=04000000000006037&amp;breakdown=by-poverty\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-20638 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanTreeCanopy_LA.png\" alt=\"Bar chart from the National Equity Atlas showing Urban Tree Canopy in Los Angeles by race\/ethnicity and poverty rates\" width=\"1772\" height=\"932\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanTreeCanopy_LA.png 1772w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanTreeCanopy_LA-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanTreeCanopy_LA-1024x539.png 1024w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanTreeCanopy_LA-768x404.png 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/12\/UrbanTreeCanopy_LA-1536x808.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1772px) 100vw, 1772px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20638\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Data source: National Land Cover Database; US Census Bureau; GeoLytics, Inc. | National Equity Atlas| National Equity Atlas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These heat inequities make the work of local collaboratives like the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/communitypartners.org\/southlaecolab\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South LA EcoLab<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> all the more important to the environmental health of Los Angeles County. Funded by the Transformative Climate Communities program, the South LA EcoLab has brought together organizations like T.R.U.S.T. South LA, CicLAvia, Coalition for Responsible Community Development, GRID Alternatives, LA Neighborhood Land Trust, and others to offer numerous environmental initiatives for South Los Angeles. South LA EcoLab initiatives related to extreme heat adaptation include heat-reflective cool roofs and cool pavements, urban greening at an elementary school, and planting over 4,000 trees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outside of the South LA EcoLab initiative, these organizations (and many others) are engaging in additional efforts to combat extreme heat in Los Angeles. TreePeople <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/treepeople.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has planted millions of trees<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> throughout Southern California, including shade trees in communities facing extreme heat. SAJE has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saje.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/LA-Building-Decarb_Tenant-Impact-and-Recommendations_SAJE_December-2021-1.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">advocated for increased building decarbonization in Los Angeles<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which would both mitigate heat-causing pollution and improve interior cooling systems. Climate Resolve has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/climateresolve.org\/shine-on-initiative\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">long advocated for increased cool roofs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, pavements, and other surfaces in Los Angeles to directly reduce the urban heat effect. As with most environmental issues, it will take a combination of both mitigating and adaptive measures to combat the issue of extreme heat and the urban heat effect in Los Angeles \u2013 but organizations across the county are stepping up to the plate in keeping LA cool.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To learn more about urban heating and urban tree canopy, as well as lead exposure and toxic flood risk, visit the National Equity Atlas\u2019 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalequityatlas.org\/introducing-ej-indicators\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new environmental justice indicator pages<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This data can support public officials, advocates, researchers, and residents concerned with environmental well-being, and each of the individual indicator pages contains additional context, key data trends, and strategies for addressing each issue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Explore other articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/17\/forward-in-a-world-on-fire-lithium-valley-new-crossroads\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Forward in a World on Fire: Lithium Valley at a New Crossroads<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/04\/13\/review-reports-data-centers-policy-impacts-equity\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >A Review of Recent Reports on Data Centers<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eri\/2026\/02\/19\/celebrating-solidarity-weaving-together-struggles-for-justice\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Watch Recording Now &#8211; Celebrating Solidarity: Weaving Together Struggles for Justice<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":20646,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[318,279,26],"tags":[154,18,29,124,47,42,213,395,394],"class_list":["post-20629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-charging-forward","category-ej","category-blog","tag-california","tag-climate-equity","tag-community-organizing","tag-data","tag-environmental-justice","tag-los-angeles","tag-national-equity-atlas","tag-tree-canopy","tag-urban-heat"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - 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