Cool It! Designing Community Shade Structures

Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S., with the greatest impacts in dense urban areas, like Yonkers. Join environmental journalist Sam Bloch, landscape architect and planner Michael Haggerty, and Yonkers residents Roberto Lopez and Helena Cruz for a wide-ranging discussion on innovative shade structures, community-led solutions, and environmental equity. Moderated by Oded Holzinger of Groundwork Hudson Valley, and expanding on themes explored in Throwing Shade on Extreme Heat.

Sam Bloch is an environmental journalist based in New York City. Formerly a staff writer at The Counter, his work has appeared in The New York Times, Slate, CityLab, Places Journal, Landscape Architecture Magazine, and more. He is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School and a former MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow and Emerson Collective Fellow.

Michael Haggerty is a Principal at Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners, where he leads urban planning and design projects focused on open space, housing, waterfronts, and climate resilience. He began his career at Creative Time and holds degrees in architecture and urban planning from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, where he received the Presidential Public Service Fellowship.

Roberto Lopez is a senior at Yonkers High School and a lifelong resident of Nodine Hill. Inspired by his work with the Shade Structure Working Group, he plans to pursue a double major in Environmental Studies and Political Science, with the goal of specializing in environmental law and giving back to the Yonkers community.

Helena Cruz is a senior at Yonkers High School with a strong interest in environmental justice. A Yonkers resident for most of her life, she also serves as a Junior Docent at the Hudson River Museum and is proud to see her contributions to the Shade Structure Working Group featured in the exhibition.

This project is made possible with funding from Con Edison’s Climate Justice Resiliency Program. Support for this program is provided by Sarah Lawrence College and the Mellon Foundation.

Image: Rendering by Starr Whitehouse.