Designing sun safety: Shade Lookbook

Abstract 

Outdoor play is critical to healthy child development, but with more frequent extreme temperatures and heat events, climate change is negatively impacting children outdoor play opportunities and placing them at greater risk of heat-related illnesses and over exposure to UV radiation. Well-designed shade can help to mitigate these risks and support quality outdoor play. Playground shade, particularly natural forms of shade such as trees, shrubs and vines, as well as cooler and more natural playground materials, have been shown to effectively mitigate extreme heat and hot playground surface temperatures. The planting of trees, shrubs, and vines can provide natural shade for sun protection and cooling. Plants also contribute a wide range of ecological, cultural, emotional, and play benefits in addition to sun protection.

Climate change is changing the landscape of children’s outdoor play and this presentation will share guiding principles for well designed shade to protect their health and wellbeing. With a focus on important contributions made by natural shade, we will recommend some of the best plants to use in British Columbia as identified by graduate students in UBC’s Landscape Architecture Program for BC Cancer’s Shade Lookbook.

Speakers

Breann Corcoran is an Environmental Health & Knowledge Translation Scientist, BC Centre for Disease Control and PhD candidate, UBC School of Population and Public Health

Susan Herrington is a professor in the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.