Los Angeles County is creating a Heat Action Plan to help communities stay safe during extreme heat, with steps like adding more shade, improving buildings, and supporting the neighborhoods most at risk.

As climate change accelerates, Los Angeles County is facing more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting heat waves. Average maximum temperatures in the region are expected to rise by up to eight degrees by the end of the century, with disproportionate impacts on low-income neighborhoods that have less tree canopy and more pavement. The County's Chief Sustainability Office is responding with the County Heat Action Plan (CHAP), a comprehensive policy roadmap to help residents, businesses, and ecosystems adapt to extreme heat. The plan emphasizes equity, highlighting the need to protect communities historically left vulnerable due to redlining and underinvestment.
The CHAP outlines three primary goals: cooling and protecting outdoor spaces, making buildings more heat-resilient, and strengthening emergency preparedness and communication. Specific measures include expanding urban greening, updating building design for passive cooling, increasing access to efficient HVAC systems, and developing mobile cooling strategies for outdoor workers and unhoused residents. The plan also seeks to minimize energy demand while increasing resilience by supporting solar and storage systems, promoting reflective roofing, and leveraging passive design. Environmental co-benefits — such as biodiversity, pollinator support, and improved stormwater management—are central to the plan, which will complement ongoing initiatives like the Community Forest Management Plan.
Local governments, nonprofits, and community organizations are key to implementing the CHAP. To support them, the County has launched a Public Engagement Toolkit that includes resources for collaborative planning, grant identification, and stakeholder outreach. The draft plan will be released for public comment in fall 2025, with the final version expected by year’s end. However, many actions are already in motion. Ultimately, CHAP aims to foster not only climate resilience but community dignity — ensuring that everyone, regardless of income or zip code, has the ability to stay safe and healthy during extreme heat.
FULL STORY: Hotter Days Ahead? We’ll Be Ready For That.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?
Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.

Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.

The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)