{"id":1940,"date":"2023-08-24T22:22:32","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T22:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/spatial\/?page_id=1940"},"modified":"2025-04-17T20:08:19","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T03:08:19","slug":"creating-sustainable-solutions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/spatial\/research\/creating-sustainable-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating Sustainable Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\n Reducing Urban Heat with Trees\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n
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A faculty project director of the USC Urban Trees Initiative<\/a>, John P. Wilson helped the City of Los Angeles develop a strategic plan to make urban forestry investments in ways to most effectively mitigate urban heat island effects in low-income communities. The work to date has focused on the communities of Lincoln Heights, El Sereno, Ramona Gardens, Boyle Heights, University Park in the City of Los Angeles and City Terrace in Los Angeles County.<\/p>\n

With fellow faculty directors William M. Berelson<\/a> of the USC Dornsife Earth Sciences Department and Esther Margulies of the USC School of Architecture, the USC Dornsife Public Exchange<\/a> and a constellation of community partners, Wilson and the research team used computer analyses and mapping techniques to describe the existing study area conditions. They examined the natural environment, the built environment and resident demographics. The analysis on study areas residents included elements of race ethnicity, age, income, vehicle access and housing costs relative to their ability to pay.<\/p>\n

\"Reducing<\/p>\n

The research team developed five scenarios identifying the most effective places for planting new trees in areas of greatest need that would create the largest increase in tree canopy. They also identified what kind of trees should be added. Large, dense shade trees that will better tolerate the hotter, drier conditions to come and they found that certain evergreen varieties, such as Cypress and pine trees, actually remove air pollutants.<\/p>\n

On November 9, 2024, the first trees were planted in the West Adams neighborhood.<\/a><\/p>\n

Beau MacDonald<\/a>, SSI GIS project administrator, oversaw the SSI student researchers that included Rachel Ablondi, Naman Casas, Eileen Chen, Charles Curtin, Jackson FitzGerald, Erik Huisman, Yuliang Jiang, Carolyn Koh, Jillian Gorman, Joan Lee, Alyssa Ng and Seher Randhawa. The SSI Urban Trees initiative student teams won the 2021, 2022 and 2023 USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy first prize award and the 2024 second prize award. Teams have also won the 2022 and 2023 USC Sustainability second prize award.<\/p>\n

Messier, L.<\/strong>, Margulies, E.<\/strong>, Wilson, J.P.<\/strong>, Elevating street trees to infrastructure status: A comparison of stree tree spacing guidelines in Los Angeles with U.S. peer cities<\/a>. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening<\/em>, 103, 128584 (2025).<\/p>\n

Kianmehr, A.<\/strong>, MacDonald, B.<\/strong>, Margulies, E.<\/strong>, Birdwell, A.<\/strong>, Wilson, J.P.<\/strong>, A new approach to monitor the life cycle of urban street tree canopies<\/a>. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening<\/em>, 101, 128518 (2024).<\/p>\n

Wolf-Jacobs, A<\/strong>., Wilson, J.P<\/strong>., Margulies, E<\/strong>., Promoting self-determination, minimizing green gentrification, and maximizing community benefits in urban forestry expansion: A systematic review<\/a>. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening<\/em>, 84, 127933 (2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n

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We are demonstrating the value proposition and pathways to alternative futures that can improve environmental quality and human well-being in communities with less resources and amenities than others. That\u2019s critical because we need to change how we live to build more sustainable and resilient communities everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n

\n John P. Wilson, Professor of Architecture, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Population and Public Health Sciences, Sociology and Spatial Sciences\n\n <\/div>\n \n \n
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\n Coffee with Ish: Sustainability\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n
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Ishwar Puri, USC Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation, interviews SSI faculty affiliate Rima Habre<\/a> and other USC faculty researching at the intersection of sustainability and climate change.<\/p>\n