L.A. Heat Islands: The Unequal Burden of Urban Warming
As Los Angeles sweltered through record-breaking temperatures in the summer of 2024—official highs topping 110°F citywide—certain neighborhoods burned hotter than others. In Watts, asphalt streets radiated stifling heat well into the night; in Pacoima, tin-roofed shacks trapped searing daytime temperatures indoors. This essay explores the phenomenon of urban heat islands—how decades of underinvestment in green…