Phoenix officials hope an expansive use of shade — which can lower surrounding temperate by about 30 degrees — will be a balm for rising temperatures around the Valley.
The city plans to spend more than $50 million during the next five years, planting 25,000 new trees and adding 500 new shade structures. There will be a focus on low- and middle-income neighborhoods lacking in shade compared with high-income neighborhoods.
David Hondula, director of the city’s Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, outlined the first draft of the city’s new Shade Phoenix Plan.
