Renderings of two of the proposed structures demonstrates how shade will be introduced at 25 of Phoenix’s busiest and most exposed intersections (photo courtesy of the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation).
At an Aug. 15 meeting, the Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation and the Street Transportation Department hosted a virtual meeting to gain resident input for the Phoenix Sidewalk Shade Project. The project is one aspect of the city’s new Shade Phoenix Plan — an update to the city’s Tree and Shade Masterplan passed in 2010 — a draft of which was presented to City Council June 11.
The goal of the Shade Phoenix Plan is to direct the policy regarding the addition and maintenance of both natural and built shade. The plan states that shade reduces the net heat burden on the human body by up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and that maintaining and expanding publicly available shade, with a focus on where people are most exposed to outdoor heat and where there are high concentrations of vulnerable populations, is critical to the future.
Addressing the built shade aspects of the plan, the Sidewalk Shade Project will design and construct 25 shade structures in the public right-of-way at major intersections and crosswalks, where residents are forced to wait for traffic signal changes. The locations were selected based on bicycle and pedestrian volumes and other variables, such as heat vulnerability index, surface temperature and access to vehicles.
Working with the Department of Arts and Culture, three different shade structure designs will be used. Each structure design was inspired by Arizona’s desert environment, including variations on saguaro blossoms and monarch butterflies. Three local artists have been hired to collaborate with the design team to contribute artwork that reflects the culture and heritage of the city. The artist’s designs will be reflected in the shade panels that are attached to the structures and in the choice of colors for the structures.
Among the 25 shade structure locations are three major intersections in the North Central area: the southeast, northeast and northwest corners of 19th and Dunlap avenues; the northeast and southwest corners of Indian School Road and Central Avenue; and the northeast and southwest corners of Camelback Road and 19th Avenue — all of which are adjacent to Valley Metro Light Rail stations.
During the meeting, some of the participating residents voiced concerns that these structures may exacerbate existing problems at the Dunlap and Camelback intersections, where they say residents experiencing homelessness tend to congregate and where drug activity has been witnessed.
David Hondula, director of the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, who presented at the Aug. 15 meeting, addressed residents’ concerns, saying that they hear and understand the safety concerns about the locations and that his office and the team would take those concerns to the appropriate departments.
A stark reality in Phoenix is the fact that 340 heat-related deaths occurred in 2023, according to a report by the city’s Office of Public Health during a presentation at a Human Services Commission meeting, also held Aug. 15. Of those deaths, 54 percent were people experiencing homelessness. While this project addresses just one small aspect of a much larger conversation, these intersections perfectly align with the project goal of protecting vulnerable populations, specifically residents who — regardless of their housing status — must walk or bike to and from their destination.
The final version of the Shade Phoenix Plan is expected to be released mid-October. Construction on the Sidewalk Shade Project structures is expected to begin mid-2025 and conclude in 2026. For more information, visit www.phoenix.gov/heatsite/pages/phoenix-sidewalk-shade-project.aspx or www.phoenix.gov/heat.
