(Pictured: A $3,330 sun protector; Lorcan O'Herlihy's Big Blue Bus stops
Yesterday's DnA show on KCRW posed the question: Why so much sun, LA? This city feels like a cement Sahara, so why aren't there more shady, cool spots? Horticulturist and environmental reporter Emily Green appears on the show, stating that at some LAUSD schools, kids bake for hours during recess on the asphalt playground ("If this were a prison, Amnesty International would be going nuts," says Green), but getting structures introduced into the school system to provide shade so kids don't catch skin cancer is--surprise--bureaucratic and difficult. And more on the social aspects of trees. Turns out leafy trees provide just as much fun as your local pub. "There is this idea that trees are a luxury, that they are there for an aesthetic purpose, " says Green. "There isn't a fundamental understanding that they confer vital benefits, they create social gathering points, they clean the air, they muffle sound."
Urban planner James Rojas also pops up on the show to say trees need to be integrated into transportation planning, a move which would allow the streets to become more shady, walkable and enjoyable.
Meanwhile, another segment has LA Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne talking about Eli Broad, and while it's not confirmed, the news on the show is that that Broad has 1. Picked downtown 2. Picked architect Diller Scofidio & Renfro.
· Let There Be Shade [DnA]
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