*Shade*

The author is Sam Bloch, and the subtitle is The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource. An interesting book on a neglected topic, here is one excerpt:

Shade is not part of L.A.’s modern identity. In the 1930s, the city was rezoned to Federal Housing Administration design standards and banned high-density developments like row houses. Although apartments were once common, city leaders bowed to a prevailing wisdom that L.A. should not resemble a dark and cramped East Coast city. Freestanding single family-homes that were touched by sun on every side became mandatory. In came the cars. L.A.’s curbside trees were removed to accommodate shrinking sidewalks and expanding roads, and new rules that require parking minimums dealt another below to the urban forest. Mediterranean-style courtyards became endangered species as the shaded commons were converted to outdoor car storage. For decades, no building could be taller than the twenty-seven-story city hall… Since the 1970s, an individual right to sunshine has been practically enshrined in state law.

The book also serves as an alternative history of Los Angeles (though it covers much more than that) through this alternative lens.

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