Throwing Shade
Heatwaves, Emergency Preparedness, and Produced Risk

Ciara Stein, Harvard Graduate School of Design, MLA I and MUP
Advised by Jill Desimini

Throwing Shade introduces a series of public cooling landscapes designed to offer relief both daily and in emergencies. Through considering networks of infrastructure and public acupuncture, the design proposes heat escapes situated within, and with the capacity to be leveraged by, the social infrastructure of New Orleans’ Seventh Ward neighborhood. Inspired by the routes of Second Line parades, held by Social, Aid, and Pleasure Club mutual aid organizations, the project focuses on movements and moments within the neighborhood — specifically, the library, park, highway underpass, and street medians. Each site has both distinct and connected histories, encompassing legacies of racism, resistance, and celebration, that are reflected in the design. Elements include infrastructure un-building, shade structures, tree plantings, de-paving, grading, water features, and solar energy capture. Through the throwing of shade, the project provides a framework for spatial memory and climatic justice.