The City of Los Angeles, California is known for ceaseless sunshine and warm weather. But with climate change leading to rising temperatures, the heat is testing the city’s infrastructure. The Bureau of Street Services, in alignment with Mayor Garcetti’s “Sustainability City pLAn,” is exploring innovative solutions.
Rising temperatures are affecting infrastructure globally, but in locations like the San Fernando Valley, the effects of the sun on black streets can have shocking consequences. According to Greg Spotts, Assistant Director for the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services (BSS), the Los Angeles heat can even have deadly consequences.
“Los Angeles has a significant number of heat-related deaths each year,” Spotts said, adding that it is one of the few cities with heat-related deaths in the winter, and a surprise heat wave in January can catch vulnerable populations by surprise. Spotts views this mission to find a solution as a matter of public health.