It feels silly to say, but a highlight of my study abroad experience so far has been my daily exposure to nature. On my walks to class, I pass through The Meadows, a large park that feeds onto campus. As I navigate Edinburgh, I walk by trees on the street and green spaces like the Princes Street Gardens. I particularly appreciate this greenery because I don’t get much of it back in Los Angeles. 

USC’s campus has quads and parks present, but the moment you venture beyond the University’s gates, you quickly encounter many buildings and few trees. If New York City is considered a “concrete jungle,” then Los Angeles and neighborhoods within the city can be thought of as a concrete desert. 

It’s not just that L.A. has less green infrastructure than other major U.S. cities; historically, the city has systematically disenfranchised communities primarily made up of people of color from equal access to green spaces through redlining. Now, these communities feel the brunt of issues like droughts and extreme heat. But L.A. can — and should — do better than this.

The presence of plants and trees in urban areas is extremely beneficial to residents, and I’ve personally experienced some of these positives myself. 

As I’ve spent time in Edinburgh, I’ve noticed how the city’s design encourages connection between residents and with nature. The air feels cleaner., Ttime outdoors naturally uplifts my mood, and wide public spaces invite the city to gather. These simple yet powerful features make the city both healthier and livelier, enriching everyday life for those utilizing them. 

Research consistently supports the advantages of greener cities. A study from the University of Sussex found that the presence of green spaces are crucial for populations’ mental health, concluding that exposure to nature is “psychologically restorative” with “beneficial influences on individuals’ emotions and ability to reflect on life problems.” 

The advantages extend well beyond mental health. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that beyond reducing temperatures, atmospheric carbon dioxide and air pollution, exposure and education in these spaces can also motivate more sustainable attitudes in people, changing their behaviors accordingly. 

Greenspace can even have therapeutic applications, such as for helping dementia patients. Increased access to greenspace influences better sleeping patterns, fitness, mobility and self-control, which are associated with a greater sense of belonging. 

These advantages are especially valuable for preventing extreme heat conditions that have plagued the city. Additionally, cooling L.A. would help not only Angelenos, but also the many tourists expected to come into the city for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

L.A. has already taken steps toward a cooler, greener future. ShadeLA, which launched in July in partnership with USC Dornsife Public Exchange, the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, L.A. Metro, and city and county government offices, is hosting the Shade Zones Design Competition focused on modular temporary shading. 

While promising, temporary shade alone is not enough — L.A. residents deserve to enjoy a cooler, shadier city year-round, both for their health’s sake and the environment itself. A crucial element of making that happen is to put down roots by bringing trees and nature to the areas that lack them most.

Besides building more parks, another avenue is community gardens, where people can grow plants together, strengthening their connection with one another, nature and sustainability. Such spaces become hubs that locals treasure, as we saw with people’s disappointment about the displacement of the USC Peace Garden. 

There are also more unconventional ways to implement green design and incorporate plants within urban planning. 

Cities worldwide show creative paths forward. The city of Boston added green roofs to its bus stops to mitigate extreme heat, manage stormwater runoff, improve air quality and provide habitats for wildlife. With L.A.’s plans to expand bus routes ahead of the 2028 Olympics, there is an opportunity for the city to mirror Boston’s initiative and make its bus stops greener. 

Mexico City is another helpful role model for bringing more nature into L.A. There, highway pillars have been transformed into vertical gardens, adding more greenery to popular routes. As L.A.’s freeways are plentiful, the city has many pillars that could become vertical gardens of their own, helping to mitigate some of the pollution from cars and make drives more pleasant.

Given how major a city L.A. is, there is no reason for it to rank among the bottom of high-density cities in terms of parks and green spaces. At a time when the city and county are already reimagining and redesigning what L.A. should look like, it’s pivotal that incorporating more natural elements into its neighborhoods is a focal point, not just an afterthought. 

Dor Peretz is a junior writing about United States culture and politics analyzed through the lens of her time studying abroad in her column, “A Broader Perspective,” which runs every other Friday.