Thermal Inequities in Public Parks and Open Spaces in Los Angeles Determined by Remote Sensing

Authors

• Ashley Agatep, Chapman University
• Joshua B. Fisher, Chapman UniversityFollow
• Kainani Tacazon, Chapman University
• Ambar Rivera, Communities for a Better Environment
• Rossmery Zayas, Communities for a Better Environment, Huntington Park
• Reginald Archer, Tennessee State University
• Juan Carlos Ruiz Malagon, University of California, Irvine
• Jason A. Douglas, University of California, Irvine

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-18-2026

Abstract

Urban heat island (UHI) effects are amplified by disparities in community-level cooling infrastructure—such as urban public parks and open spaces (PPOS)—with the most severe impacts occurring in communities that lack sufficient city-wide cooling resources. We found that the underserved community of South Los Angeles, as compared to their neighboring West Los Angeles counterparts, suffers a double burden of inequitable (1) access to and (2) absence of cooling materials and surfaces within these spaces, resulting in significantly hotter temperatures. Identifying these inequities requires high-resolution temporal and spatial mapping of surface temperatures, which has been previously limited. In this community-based participatory research partnership, we implement novel thermal-downscaling techniques to evaluate PPOS temperature differences through fine-resolution surface temperature estimates in Los Angeles County. We found that the underserved community of South Los Angeles, as compared to their neighboring West Los Angeles counterparts, suffers a double burden of inequitable access to cooling materials and surfaces within these spaces, resulting in significantly hotter temperatures. This thermal inequity presents a major public health hazard, as 36% of all PPOS in South Los Angeles reached or surpassed the thermal burn pain threshold, while no PPOS in West Los Angeles reached this threshold. These results inform policies regarding the development of recreational spaces within underserved communities.

Comments

This article was originally published in npj Urban Sustainability, volume 6, in 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-026-00366-5

Recommended Citation

Agatep, A., Fisher, J.B., Tacazon, K. et al. Thermal inequities in public parks and open spaces in Los Angeles determined by remote sensing. npj Urban Sustain 6, 61 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-026-00366-5

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.