Heat Island Reduction Toolkit Cooling Long Beach Urban Heat Island Reductions Strategies Acknowledgements City of Long Beach Alta Planning + Design Kristyn Vega-Payne, Sustainability Analyst Emily Duchon, Principal In Charge Jennifer Ly, Planner Lydia Kenselaar, Project Manager Larry Rich, Sustainability Coordinator Olivia Burry-Trice, Assistant Project Manager Kevin Jackson, Deputy City Manager Maria Wardoku Allison Spindler-Ruiz, Advance Planning Officer Sean Carter Fern Nueno, Mobility Programs Officer Donny Donoghue Keith Hoey, Assistant City Engineer Cat Cheng Katie Balderas, Equity Officer Zara Gomez Rachel Junken, Transportation Planner Daniel Scheir Melissa Pacal You, Stormwater/ Environmental Compliance Officer Washington Neighborhood Association Larissa Lomen, Planning Intern Jesus Esparza, President Jocelyn Rodriguez, Climate Action Corps Fellow Iris Ornelas, Community Leader Lian Mae Tualla, Climate Action Corps Fellow Nancy Villaseñor, Park Planning & Partnerships Manager Community Navigators Ramona Caro SCAG Terri Erby India Brookover, Planning & Programs Jesus Esparza Miguel Jaimes Habitat for Humanity of Laura Mozo Greater Los Angeles Eric Salas Dinesa Thomas-Whitman, Ed.D., Director Funding for this project was provided by the Southern of Outreach Advocacy and Policy California Association of Governments (SCAG). Diana Medel, Neighborhood The project was led by the City of Long Beach Office Revitalization Manager of Sustainability in collaboration with the consultant team: Alta Planning + Design, Habitat for Humanity of Myra Murillo, Community Outreach AmeriCorps Greater Los Angeles, The Washington Neighborhood Association, and Community Navigators. 2 Cooling Long Beach Table of Contents 1. Introduction 4 Shade Structures Cool Pavement & Hardscape Purpose Cooling Amenities Study Areas Climate Change & The Urban 4. Cooling Strategies 78 Heat Island Effect Behind the Curb Impacts of Climate Change Between the Curbs 2. Community Operational Changes Engagement & Local Alleys or Paseos Context 14 Planning Process 5. Implementation & Community Engagement Strategy Funding 94 Community Priorities Appendix 104 Community Navigators A: Existing Conditions & Opportunities Local Context B: Existing Document Review 3. Cooling Toolkit 28 C: Potential Funding Sources D: Unit Costs Approach E: Maintenance Matrix Cool Tools Benefits Street Trees Green Infrastructure Cooling Long Beach 3 CHAPTER 1 Introduction 4 Cooling Long Beach Purpose This document identifies a wide range of • Support healthy and equitable communities. methods and strategies to address extreme heat and to cool the City's public streets, • Adapt to a changing climate and support sidewalks, and alleyways. This toolkit is a an integrated regional development resource for community members, as well pattern and transportation network. as City staff, consultants, and developers in This toolkit is organized into five chapters: the planning, design, and implementation of Introduction, Community Engagement & Local streetscape projects. The Cooling Long Beach Context, Cooling Toolkit, Cooling Strategies, project identified sustainable design strategies and Implementation & Funding. Chapter 1: to cool temperatures; improve walking, biking, Introduction includes the purpose of this connections to transit, and key community project and the impacts of climate change destinations; and increase the climate and urban heat island effect. Chapter 2: resiliency and well-being of the Washington Community Engagement & Local Context Neighborhood (Figure 1). While the focus of includes summaries on the planning process this project is on one specific area of the City, and community engagement strategy with the tools and strategies found in this document study area descriptions. Chapter 3: The can be applied broadly throughout the City and Cooling Toolkit includes the cool tool benefits, elsewhere in California and the southwest. applications, and design considerations. This project was funded by SCAG as part of Chapter 4: The Cooling Strategies more regional and local on-going efforts to address thoroughly considers the cooling strategies. climate change and build more sustainable Chapter 5: Funding & Implementation communities. This project provided an provides example applications and funding opportunity to develop innovative strategies opportunities. The Appendix includes: that can serve as a model for other cities Existing Conditions & Opportunities, Existing throughout the SCAG region while addressing Document Review, Potential Funding Sources, the specific wants and needs unique to Cost Estimate, and a Maintenance Matrix. the communities within each study area. The Cooling Long Beach Toolkit provides SCAG has been a leader in developing cooling strategies for city streets that: regional strategies to address climate • Address extreme heat issues. impacts. Its Connect SoCal Plan identifies Sustainable Communities Strategies to • Reflect community needs and desires. achieve state-mandated GHG emissions • Are functional for city departments reductions. Strategies from this plan include: and developers. • Improve mobility, accessibility, reliability, • Target heat issues in specific and travel safety for people and goods. neighborhoods, but can be applied • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere in the City and SCAG region. and improve air quality. Introduction 5 Study Area The Washington Neighborhood Study Area To facilitate these goals, the project in Long Beach is one of several Urban Heat team reviewed three key factors in the Islands in the city—areas where there is a study area: equity and demographics; significant temperature increase between it heat-related information; and active and the surrounding context. This report details transportation information. What follows key existing conditions and characteristics of is a summary of these findings, and is the neighborhood, bordered by Pacific Coast complemented by a review of regional and Highway to the north, Anaheim Street to the local plans that will inform this work. south, Magnolia Avenue to the west, and Long Beach Boulevard to the east - encompassing a quarter of a square mile. This year-long Urban Cooling Strategies project, funded by a grant from Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), will identify sustainable design strategies to cool temperatures; improve walking, biking, connections to transit, and key community destinations; and increase the climate resiliency and well- being of the Washington Neighborhood. 6 Cooling Long Beach PARAMOUNT NORWALK COMPTON BELLFLOWER 91 ARTESIA CERRITOS UNINCORPORATED LAKEWOOD LA PALMA CARSON 19 BUENA PARK HAWAIIAN GARDENS CYPRESS 605 710 SIGNAL 405 103 HILL LOS ALAMITOS 1 LOS ANGELES Washington Neighborhood GARDEN Study Area GROVE LONG BEACH 1 47 WESTMINSTER SEAL BEACH HUNTINGTON BEACH 0 1 Mile Figure 1. Washington Neighborhood Study Area. Historic Study Area HOLC NEIGHBORHOOD REDLINING GRADE City of Long Beach A (Best) Disinvestment Boundaries B (Still Desirable) SCAG HEAT ISLAND REDUCTION Metro A/Blue Line C (Declining) D (Hazardous) Introduction 7 Map produced November 2020 Climate Change and the Urban Heat Island Effect Data tells us that the global climate is Urban heat islands are areas that experience changing. This is due in part, to increases higher temperatures than nearby less in emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), developed areas because they have more like carbon dioxide, that are produced from paved surfaces and buildings, and less burning materials like wood, coal, and fossil vegetation. Urban heat islands occur fuels that we use to power our cities and when buildings and pavements absorb cars. These greenhouse gasses trap heat heat during the day and radiate the heat within the earth's atmosphere, resulting at night, leading to poor air quality and in changes to our climate and weather. health problems. The urban heat island Some of these changes include increased effect, made worse by climate change, droughts, intensified rains and wildfires, and disproportionately impacts communities more frequent and severe heat waves. This of color and low-income communities. project will focus on issues related to heat. Natural Human Greenouse Gas Enhanced Greenhouse Gas Effect SOLAR RADIATION LESS HEAT MORE HEAT ESCAPES INTO ESCAPES INTO SPACE SPACE SOLAR RADIATION m as o g re se ATMOSPHERE g u re o e h n n h e o re u g s e s s g e a l s Figure 2. Climate change and the greenhouse gas effect 8 Cooling Long Beach Impacts of Climate Change Temperature The planet is getting hotter, People living and working in the Washington Neighborhood are already feeling the resulting in more frequent effects of climate change, with increasing periods of extreme heat compounded and more destructive by the urban heat island effect. floods, extreme heat and The urban heat island effect causes urban areas—replete with impermeable, dark- wildfires, severe storms, colored surfaces like parking lots, roads, and roofs—to experience higher surface and sea-level rise. temperatures throughout the day, and to retain heat into the night. While it may not These in turn threaten aging transportation receive as much news coverage as other infrastructure (roads, bridges, and trails) and dangerous weather phenomena like floods, the safety and comfort of people who use fires, hurricanes, or tornadoes, extreme them in Long Beach and around the world. heat kills more Americans every year than Transportation is intimately connected to any other weather-related disaster. climate change.