Shade

The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource

By: Sam Bloch

Narrated by: Shawn K. Jain

An extraordinary investigation into shade, this “compelling . . . conversation-starter draws examples from history, city-planning and social policy” (NPR) to change the way we think about a critical natural resource that should be available to all.

“Thought-provoking . . . Bloch, an environmental journalist, examines how shade is now a privilege, often denied to farmworkers, the homeless, and residents of poor neighborhoods.”—The New Yorker

A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

On a 90-degree day in Los Angeles, bus riders across the city line up behind the shadows cast by street signs and telephone poles, looking for a little relief from the sun’s glaring heat. Every summer such scenes play out in cities across the United States, and as Sam Bloch argues, we ignore the benefits of shade at our own peril. Heatwaves are now the country’s deadliest natural disasters with victims concentrated in poorer, less shady areas. Public health, mental health, and crime statistics are worse in neighborhoods without it. For some, finding shade is a matter of life and death.

Shade was once a staple of human civilization. In Mesopotamia and Northern Africa, cities were built densely so that courtyards and public passageways were in shadow in the heat of the day, with cool breezes flowing freely. The Greeks famously philosophized in shady agoras. Even today, in Spain’s sunny Seville, political careers are imperiled when leaders fail to put out the public shades that hang above sidewalks in time for summer heat.

So what happened in the U.S.? The arrival of air conditioning and the dominance of cars took away the impetus to enshrine shade into our rapidly growing cities. Though a few heroic planners, engineers, and architects developed shady designs for efficiency and comfort, the removal of shade trees in favor of wider roads and underinvestment in public spaces created a society where citizens retreat to their own cooled spaces, if they can—increasingly taxing the energy grid—or face dangerous heat outdoors.

Shade examines the key role that shade plays not only in protecting human health and enhancing urban life, but also looks toward the ways that innovative architects, city leaders, and climate entrepreneurs are looking to revive it to protect vulnerable people—and maybe even save the planet. Ambitious and far-reaching, Shade helps us see a crucially important subject in a new light.

The topic is timely and the careful, factual analysis was comprehensive, yet accessible.

The voice of the narrator was a bit too repetitive in his sentence inflections. Not terrible overall, but listening in one go, it was really noticeable.

The Bill Bryson of Urban Design

As a Los Angeles resident, this book immediately resonated with me. Sam Bloch's deep dive into the surprisingly complex world of shade is both eye opening and deeply relevant. He explores how something we interact with every single day and often take for granted is a crucial factor in public health, social equity, and urban design.

The book has a great Bill Bryson vibe to it, taking a seemingly mundane topic and uncovering its fascinating history and far reaching implications. It's an investigation into the unnoticed, revealing how the simple presence or absence of shade can tell the story of a city and its people. For me, it made me see LA in a new light and it made me really appreciate places that are designed shade.

Brilliant and Timely Book! Well Researched and Insightful

I had several conversations with Sam Bloch while he was researching and developing Shade, and I was continually impressed by the depth of his analysis and the care he brought to this important topic. In the book, he reveals how something as seemingly simple as shade intersects with public health, equity, urban design, and climate resilience.

Sam’s ability to connect historical context with modern data and real-world consequences is exceptional. Shade is a compelling, thought-provoking read that will change how you see cities, and the role shade plays in shaping them. Highly recommended.

the theme.

We don't usually think of shade as a natural resource to put into practice to better our lives and the lives of many disadvantaged communities. It's an investment in our health and well being.

Enlightening and Hopeful

This was a wonderful find. Bloch does an amazing job of giving histories of regions and cities that have used shade to their advantage, and how we have lost that knowledge. It can seem foreboding, but he also provides good examples of recent efforts to reignite an imagination for an appropriately shade filled world.